Japan stressed Wednesday 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 honors 2.5 million Japanese war dead including top
World War II criminals.
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 Wednesday, 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 neighbors.
"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.
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Shiozaki said Wednesday: "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."
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 May 10, 2007)
