Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen has taken his campaign overseas, a move that boosts the Democratic Progressive Party's momentum in its bid for the capital while putting pressure on incumbent mayor Chiang Wan-an to respond.

• Shen set up a Japan support group in Tokyo, with three goals for the trip: the support group itself, parliamentary diplomacy, and a study visit on Japanese city governance.
• He hopes the support group will not serve the election alone, but will become Taipei's "eyes" overseas in future, linking up Taiwanese in Japan to advance city diplomacy.
• He wore a bulletproof vest throughout, citing the fact that he is wanted by China and must step up his personal security whenever he travels abroad.
• He criticised Chiang Wan-an for a long-standing failure to respond to questions about city administration, saying it had gone from "answering B when asked A" to "not responding to A at all".
• Japanese politicians including House of Representatives member Susumu Yamaguchi turned out in support, signalling ties between younger political circles in Taiwan and Japan.

Outlook: The campaign will continue along the lines of overseas rallies and media exposure, and whether Chiang Wan-an responds directly to the criticism will be the next focus.