Japan's former LDP leader cancels China trip

Kyodo News reported that Hiromu Nonaka, former secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said he would cancel a scheduled January trip to China, explaining that Japan's decision to grant a visa to Lee Tunghui, Taiwan's former president, made the timing of his visit inappropriate. "The visa issuance to former Taiwan President Lee is disrespectful to China and it is not appropriate for me to visit the country now," Kyodo quoted Nonaka telling a media scrum in Tokyo.