, which supports unification with China, has typically fared poorly at establishing a rapport with Tokyo — something that comes more naturally to the independence-inclined DPP.
In November, however, Nationalist presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou smashed that paradigm with what many pundits hailed as a successful trip to Japan.
For three days, Ma and his entourage wooed power brokers in Kyoto, Yokohama and Tokyo in hopes of nixing his anti-Japan reputation.
So rattled was the DPP that its presidential candidate, Frank Hsieh, touted his own Japan visit before Ma had even returned.