Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited President Ma Ying-jeou on Sunday to exchange views on diplomatic affairs between Taiwan and Japan, marking a significant step forward in bilateral relationship.

After being suspended for 31 years, direct flights between Taipei's Songshan and Tokyo's Haneda Airport have begun.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was aboard the innaugural flight which arrived in Taiwan.

President Ma also met with him in the Presidential Office, presenting him with a welcome banquet in his honor as a symbol of closer relationships between Taiwan and Japan.

After a closed-door meeting, President Ma and Abe exchanged views on how to improve Taiwan-Japan relations.

Abe arrived in the morning, and in the afternoon visited the Taipei Martyr's Shrine to present flowers later meeting with former President Lee Teng-hui.It is noteworthy that in the past 20 years, Japan has had four outgoing prime minister visit Taiwan, not only on low-key secret journeys with no media interviews to prevent stern Chinese protests.

This time Abe's trip to Taiwan would last for two days, and would include meetings with top level officials, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that both cross-strait relations and Taiwan-Japan relations are improvement.

Currently serving in the Japan's House of Representatives for the Liberal Democratic Party Abe, his opinion on the Diaoyutai issue, openly criticizing China's maritime claims is another concern about this high-level government visit.