Former President Tsai denies plan to visit Japan

Taipei, Aug. 4 (CNA) Former President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) office on Sunday denied a local media report that the former leader is planning to visit Japan.

Tsai Shu-ching (蔡舒景), a spokesperson for Tsai, told local media in a written statement that the report published by the China Times was "inaccurate."

"There is currently no such plan as reported by the media outlet," the statement read.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) also told CNA that it has not engaged in negotiations with its Japanese counterpart to arrange a potential trip to Japan by Tsai.

Citing unnamed sources, the China Times reported earlier Sunday that think tanks in the United States, Europe and Japan have all extended invitations to Tsai since she left the presidency on May 20.

Due to the fact that Japan is closest to Taiwan, it is most likely Tsai would visit Japan first, it said.

Tsai's Japan visit could be done by applying for a visitor visa to visit relatives, following the precedent set by late President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), who in 2001 made his first trip to Japan since leaving office in 2000, according to the China Times.