The government has not decided whether to issue a visa to former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui, who wants to visit Japan for a medical checkup, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Monday.
"The government has not decided on a policy yet," the top government spokesman said at a news conference.
"The Foreign Ministry is drawing up a report, so we will discuss the issue in the near future after receiving that report," Fukuda said.
Fukuda maintained that Lee's visa application, made last week at Japan's unofficial government mission to Taiwan, was not formal because of "technical problems."
Japan is aware of Lee's desire to visit Japan to receive medical treatment, and the government is considering his request from a humanitarian standpoint, Fukuda added.
But on Monday, China again called on Japan to reject the request, saying such a trip would damage bilateral ties.
"China hopes Japan will . . . take a clear attitude and stop Lee Teng-hui's moves to visit Japan, avoiding further actions that harm Sino-Japanese ties and hurt the feelings of China and the Chinese people," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said in a statement issued by the official Xinhua news agency.
Lee, who left office last May after 12 years in power, has an appointment with a Japanese heart surgeon in Okayama Prefecture on April 24.
China has warned Japan and other countries against granting an entry visa to Lee, claiming he uses trips abroad to campaign against China's avowed goal of reunification with Taiwan.