A record number of Diet members are flocking to Taiwan during the legislative recess this year, eager to get to know the movers and shakers in the administration of President Chen Shui-bian, the first non-Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), administration in more than half a century.

In all, almost 40 Diet members from the ruling coalition and opposition parties will have set foot on the island, which does not have diplomatic relations with Japan, before the end of the month.

One of the most prominent visitors is Koichi Kato, former secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, who is scheduled to give a lecture on "Security in East Asia in the 21st century" in Taipei on Aug. 30.

Kato, a longtime ally of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, is known for having close connections with leaders of mainland China.