UPDATE2: Japan issues visa to Thailand's fugitive ex-leader Thaksin+

TOKYO, Aug. 15 Kyodo -
(EDS: ADDING DETAILS)
Japan has issued a visa to former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in response to the new Thai government's request to allow him special entry, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Monday.
Japan's move came after Thaksin's sister Yingluck Shinawatra was officially sworn in as the new prime minister of Thailand last week.
Edano told a news conference that Japan issued the visa Sunday through its consulate general in Dubai based on a ''comprehensive'' judgment in response to a request from Thailand.
Bangkok argued that the visit by Thaksin, who plans to travel to areas in Japan hit by the March disaster, would aid disaster victims and also help move forward bilateral ties, according to Edano.
The new Thai administration also said it will not ban Thaksin traveling to Thailand.
Thaksin, who served as Thai prime minister between 2001 and 2006 before being deposed in a military coup, now lives in exile in Dubai.
The Japanese immigration control law does not allow the entry of a person who has been found guilty of a crime and given a jail term of more than one year.
An exception can be made, though, with the justice minister issuing a special permit for a person if circumstances requiring his or her entry into Japan are recognized.
Thaksin has been hoping to visit Japan from Aug. 22 to 28, during which time he intends to visit areas in Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, his supporters said.