Former Prime Minister Taro Aso on Tuesday described Taiwan as an important "country" for Japan, possibly triggering strong backlash from China, which considers the self-ruled democratic island part of its territory.Aso's remarks were made during a ceremony in Tokyo related to Taiwan. Communist-led Beijing and Taipei have been governed separately since they split due to a civil war in 1949. Aso now serves as supreme adviser to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.At the event to mark a major public holiday on the island, Aso, a former vice president of the LDP, said Taiwan is a "country close…READ FULL ARTICLE