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Japanese editorial excerpts -3-+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)TOKYO, April 3_(Kyodo) _ Selected editorial excerpts from the Japanese press: JAPAN-CHINA TIES (IHT/Asahi as translated from the Japanese-language Asahi Shimbun's editorial published April 2) It was exactly one year ago that anti-Japan demonstrations flared in China. The first protest occurred in the inland city of Chengdu where window glasses were broken in a Japanese supermarket. From there, the demonstrations spread to Beijing, Shanghai and other cities. The Japanese Embassy, as well as consulate generals, were attacked with rocks. Chinese authorities eventually clamped down on these activities and the protests ended. Still, Japan-China relations continue to stagnate. Last October, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made his fifth visit to war-related Yasukuni Shrine since taking office in 2001. Class-A war criminals who were responsible for Japanese aggression in China are enshrined in Yasukuni, along with Japan's war dead. The prime minister's repeated visits caused China to harden its stance toward Japan, making it impossible for the two countries' leaders and foreign ministers even to meet. In March, Tokyo suspended its yen loans to China for fiscal 2005. With regard to the death of an official posted to the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported shocking news that the man's suicide note referred to threats apparently made by Chinese intelligence officers. The two counties are also locked in a bitter dispute over gas exploration in the East China Sea. Against this backdrop, former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto led a delegation of seven Japan-China friendship organizations to Beijing, where they met with Chinese President Hu Jintao. It was closely watched what kinds of message China's top leader would send to Japan. Indeed he did. Hu's message was that if Japanese leaders stopped visiting Yasukuni Shrine, he was prepared to have summit meetings "at any time." Hu also said he considers Sino-Japanese relations to be "the most important bilateral relationship" and that he wanted to pursue active cooperation in a wide variety of fields. Despite the Yasukuni issue, China has no intention of letting its bilateral relations stagnate entirely. It is keen to continue bilateral exchanges. Hu's comments carry great weight in Chinese society, where the population is always mindful of what their leaders say. So with their president's blessings, many people across a wide spectrum of society know they won't get into trouble by trying to keep the channels of communication open with Japan. Yet, singling out the Yasukuni visits as the sole condition for reopening bilateral summits could have ramifications that actually worsen the situation in Japan. Even among those who are critical of Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni, quite a few people feel it would be wrong for the prime minister to stop making the visits "just because another country tells him so." With a leadership election of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party looming in autumn, those in the running could face the danger of being attacked for maintaining a passive stance about the Yasukuni issue. Even if economic and cultural exchanges thrive, eventually they will have to face this political issue some day. (April 3) |