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Abe criticizes China's summit talk rejection over Yasukuni visits+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)TOKYO, April 2_(Kyodo) _ Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe on Sunday criticized Chinese President Hu Jintao, who has made it a precondition for a bilateral summit meeting that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi stop visiting the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine. "It is wrong to say 'we will not meet' in a bid to achieve political goals," Abe said on a TV program. "Political matters eventually come into play when nations share a border, but it is the wisdom of matured nations to solve troubles through talks." While emphasizing his continuous respect for the war-dead, Abe, considered as the major candidate to become the next Japanese premier, said he has "no intention of making the shrine visit issue a political slogan" if he succeeds Koizumi. Meanwhile, he showed cautiousness in bringing up the Yasukuni issue as a focal point in the presidential election of the Liberal Democratic Party as it could result in diplomatic conflicts and undermine Japan's interests. At a meeting with former Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto on Friday in Beijing, Hu blamed Koizumi's visits to the shrine for the souring of bilateral ties, and said China would hold summit talks with Japan when the visits stop. |