Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori urged Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian to exercise caution on a proposed referendum on Chinese missiles in order to avoid exacerbating tensions between Taiwan and China, according to Japanese members of his entourage.
Mori met Chen in Taipei on Thursday, even though he previously stated that his visit to Taiwan was a private one.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao expressed displeasure the same day over Mori's trip to the island, which Beijing regards as a renegade province.