Party chairman Wu Poh-hsiung - the first leader of a ruling Taiwanese party to visit Japan - is scheduled to leave here Sunday for a week-long visit, the Kuomintang said in a statement.

Mr Wu will meet Tokyo Mayor Shintaro Ishihara, Osaka Mayor Junichi Seki and officials from several Japanese political parties, it said.

Mr Wu said that President Ma Ying-jeou had asked him to convey a clear message to Japan that his government is keen to forge closer ties between Tokyo and Taipei.

'President Ma is fully aware of the importance of Taiwan-Japan ties, which he defined as a 'special partner relationship,'' Mr Wu said in the statement.

Trade between Taiwan and Japan totals about US$60 billion (S$91.4 billion) a year.

Ties hit a low point in June after a Taiwanese fishing boat collided with a Japanese patrol boat and sank in the East China Sea near the disputed island chain, known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese.

The Japanese vessel rescued all 16 people onboard the fishing boat and sent them back to Taiwan after questioning.

Japan administers the uninhabited island group, which lies near rich energy deposits, but it is also claimed by Taipei and Beijing. -- AFP