Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui has applied for an entry visa to Japan to undergo a medical checkup later this month, a source close to the former president and Japan's visa office in Taipei said Tuesday.
But the application came as the government earlier in the day virtually ruled out a visit.
Lee's application challenges China's repeated warning to Japan and other countries against inviting Lee, claiming that he uses trips abroad to promote Taiwan independence.
The source close to Lee said he handed the application and Lee's passport to Japan's top representative Shintaro Yamashita in Taipei earlier in the day.