On September 27, President Chen Shui-bian invited Japan's former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to attend the inauguration of the Taiwan High Speed Rail. Scheduled to commence service before the end of 2006, the Taiwan High Speed Rail is a major project based on the Japanese "Shinkansen" system.
In the invitation, which was delivered to Koizumi by Taiwan's representative office in Japan, President Chen also expressed, on behalf of the people of Taiwan, appreciation for Koizumi's efforts during his premiership to strengthen the relationship between Taiwan and Japan.