Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, scheduled to visit Taiwan for today's presidential inauguration, will meet with outgoing President Lee Teng-hui and new President Chen Shui-bian, sources said Friday.
Lee has invited Ishihara to his weekend retreat in Tahsi, outside Taipei, for a round of golf Sunday, the day after he retires as president, the sources said.
The two old friends are expected to consider Lee's bid to visit Japan. Ishihara, who was due to arrive in Taipei on Friday to attend Saturday's inauguration of Chen as Taiwan's second democratically elected president, firmly supports a visit.
Ishihara, who is to return to Tokyo on Monday, will also hold talks with Chen after the inauguration, but no time has been fixed yet, the sources said.
Chen, who lacks personal connections with Japan, reportedly hopes that Ishihara will help open up new channels of communication for the new government. Ishihara, known for his nationalist views and criticism of China, made his first visit to Taiwan as Tokyo governor in the fall to tour earthquake-stricken areas in central Taiwan. At the time he also met with Lee.