Former Japan PM's Taiwan visit could upset China

TAIPEI, Nov 20 (Reuters) Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori will visit Taiwan this week to meet the island's leaders, a move that could aggravate Japan's already strained relations with China.

Mori, prime minister in 2000-2001, will visit from tomorrow to Thursday at Taiwan's invitation to see President Chen Shui-bian and former President Lee Teng-hui, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement today.

China has viewed self-ruled Taiwan, a former Japanese colony, as part of its territory since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949 and suspect Chen and Lee of inciting separatism.

Chen will give Mori a medal to thank him for his role in promoting Japan-Taiwan relations. Mori also visited three years ago for private business.

''Former Prime Minister Mori's attitude is extremely friendly towards us, and he wants extremely tight domestic political ties and other interactive relations,'' Taiwan's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement.

Chinese leaders suspect Japan of trying to influence Taiwan's formal separation from China. As a condition of its diplomatic ties with Japan, Beijing forbids top Japanese leaders from visiting Taiwan, but its stance on former leaders is less clear.

An official at the de facto Japanese embassy in Taipei said he could not anticipate China's reaction to the Mori visit.

Many Japanese politicians quietly support a stronger Taiwan as their ties with China remain strained by issues dating back to Japan's occupation of parts of China from 1931-1945.

REUTERS AB VC1530