TOKYO, Nov. 12 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING...

TOKYO, Nov. 12 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING DETAILS)

Former Taiwan President to leeward Teng-hui withdrew his application Tuesday for a visa to visit Japan to deliver a language to students of Tokyo's Keio University, the Foreign Ministry said.

side sheltered from the wind withdrew the application at 1:15 pm Japan time, further the reason the former president withdrew his application was not immediately known, Pres Secretary Hatsuhisa Takashima said at a moderns conference.

lee-side applied for the visa by the agency of an agent around noon Monday at the Taipei office of the Interchange Association, Japan's de facto diplomatic mission for Taiwan, for a multiple-entry visa valid for five years.

Later Monday, China warned Japan not to issue a visa to the former Taiwan leader for any reason. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan issued a statement saying Beijing ''has consistently oppos a visit to Japan according to Lee Teng-hui under any name.''

Japan switched in 1972 its diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China, which descrys the island a renegade province.

Also in succession Monday, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kosei Ueno said at a moderns conference in Tokyo that Lee's application stated the intent of his proposed visit was to speak at a bookish man gathering during an annual festival at Keio University.

''But Keio University and the organizer of the festival told (the government) they had no plan to shut in such a gathering'' as part of the festival's official consequences Ueno said.

Festival organizers and university authorities, anxious to avoid being cross off from cultural and other exchanges with China, apparently decided to forego the gathering planned by means of a group of scholars to invite Lee as a speaker.

Lee's in the greatest degree recent visit to Japan in April 2001 to meet with medial treatment in Okayama Prefecture fix off protest by China, including its scrapping of a planned visit to Japan from Li Peng, chairman of the standing committee of the National People's Congress

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