Former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka, who resigned as a lawmaker last week, has been invited to attend events in Beijing marking the 30th anniversary of normalized ties between Japan and China, Chinese government sources said Monday.
Tanaka is the daughter of the late Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka, who established diplomatic relations with China on Sept. 29, 1972.
Tanaka initially conveyed her intention to visit China, according to the sources, but it is now unclear whether she will attend due to her resignation from the House of Representatives over alleged financial misdeeds.
China would welcome Tanaka in spite of her resignation, the sources said.
As Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi recently indicated he would cancel his visit to China in September, public attention is expected to shift to Tanaka's proposed visit.
Lawmakers from various political parties will visit China at the end of September, but Tanaka has been invited separately by the China-Japan Friendship Association, the sources said.
Tanaka visited China in March, after she was sacked as foreign minister, and she held talks with Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan.