Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te plans to appoint Lee Yi-yang, former vice chairman of the Examination Yuan, as the next de facto ambassador to Japan, a source said.
Lee will become head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, Taiwan’s official embassy in Japan. He will succeed the outgoing Hsieh Chang-ting.
Lee is said to have close ties to former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian and is trusted by Lai.
The appointment will be announced shortly and could take effect as early as this month.
Lee, 69, worked as a news reporter and Taipei city councilor before becoming secretary-general of the Democratic Progressive Party and interior minister under Chen’s government.
Under Lai’s immediate predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, Lee served as vice chairman of the Examination Yuan from 2017 to 2020.
During the martial law regime of the Kuomintang, the Chinese Nationalist Party, Lee was imprisoned for a magazine he co-published with Chen.
Lee speaks Japanese, although he has not worked in any departments directly related to Japan. He also has a good reputation for being an honest person.
Lee’s appointment appears to indicate that Lai’s government values ties with Japan.
Hsieh, 78, is a key figure in the ruling party and has headed the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan since June 2016. He also served as prime minister of Taiwan.
