TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Japan Prime Minister Aso Taro arrived with a delegation at Taipei’s Songshan Airport on Monday (August 7) morning.

Aso is scheduled to stay in Taiwan for three days and will attend the upcoming Ketagalan Forum on Tuesday (Aug. 8) and will meet with ruling party leaders such as President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), per RTI.

Later, he plans to meet with opposition lawmakers such as Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) and former Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) as well as Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮).

Aso served as Japan's Prime Minister from 2008–2009 and later as deputy prime minister of Japan and minister of finance from 2012–2021. He is currently serving as Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said Aso’s last visit to Taiwan was in 2011, when he led a delegation to attend the country's 100th Double Ten national day celebrations in Taipei. His return ends a 12-year absence, as he is one of the highest ranking Japanese officials to visit Taiwan.

Aso’s entourage includes Japanese Diet members Keisuke Suzuki and Kenji Nakanishi. They will also attend the Ketagalan Forum, which will focus on security issues.

The Japanese delegation’s itinerary also includes a visit to former President Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) grave at the Wuzhi Mountain (五指山) military cemetery in New Taipei.

Aso's visit will not only demonstrate the solid friendship between Taiwan and Japan but will also deepen cooperation across a variety of fields, including trade, economy, and national security.