WORLD / Asia-Pacific
Abe move: Tokyo tries to allay concerns
By Hu Xuan (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-05-10 06:57
Japan stressed yesterday that it would try to keep improving relations
with China in remarks seen as an attempt to allay concerns about Japanese
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's offering to the Yasukuni Shrine, Kyodo News
Agency said.
Chief government spokesman Yasuhisa Shiozaki told a press conference in
Tokyo that both Japan and China are determined to build a "mutually
beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests".
"It is important that we maintain this broad current with efforts made by
both sides," he said.
Abe offered a masakaki plant for the annual spring festival in late April
under the name of the prime minister to the Yasukuni Shrine, which
honours 2.5 million Japanese war dead including top World War II
criminals.
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He has adopted a strategy of ambiguity on paying respects to the Japan's
war dead since September, when he took over office from Junichiro Koizumi
whose annual pilgrimage to the shrine soured China-Japan ties and angered
the Republic of Korea (ROK).
Also yesterday, an ROK minister sent Japan a letter of protest over
textbooks distorting wartime history, a day after Seoul expressed regret
at Abe's offering to the shrine.
Abe has refused comment on his past and possible future visits to the
shrine, saying such remarks would only aggravate Japan's relations with
its neighbours.
"He is aware of the political sensibilities of his shrine visit," said
Liu Jiangyong, a researcher at the Institute of International Studies
affiliated to Tsinghua University.
Shiozaki said yesterday: "We share the resolve to jointly open the way to
a beautiful future for our bilateral relations (with China) while
squarely facing history. That's what we have reaffirmed during Premier
Wen Jiabao's recent visit to Japan."
The Yasukuni Shrine is the place that is most politically sensitive to
Japan's relations with China and other Asian countries.
Beijing has exercised great restraint when commenting on Abe's latest
move by urging Japan to strictly abide by the consensus reached between
the two countries on overcoming political barriers in bilateral relations.
"Efforts are needed to sustain the hard-won thaw in ties and keep the
momentum moving for the better," Liu said.
(China Daily 05/10/2007 page2)
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