Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi yesterday apologized for his country's aggression in Asia during World War II, but a Chinese official dismissed the remarks, saying that "actions are more important" as Japanese lawmakers made a controversial visit to a war shrine.
Koizumi's expression of "deep remorse" at a summit of Asian and African leaders in Jakarta did not go beyond what Japanese leaders have previously said.
But its delivery at the international gathering was clearly aimed at easing an escalating row with China over Tokyo's handling of its wartime atrocities and its bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
Relations between the two Asian powers have plunged in recent weeks to a three-decade low.
"In the past, Japan through its colonial rule and aggression caused tremendous damage and suffering for the people of many countries, particularly those of Asian nations," Koizumi said at the summit's opening ceremony.
"Japan squarely faces these facts of history in a spirit of humility," he said.
In response to the apology, however, China's ambassador to South Korea, Li Bin (李濱), said: "Of course words are important. But I believe actions are more important."
Just hours before Koizumi's speech, dozens of members of the Japanese parliament made a pilgrimage to a Tokyo shrine that honors executed World War II criminals along with other war dead.
"We express strong dissatisfaction over the negative actions of some Japanese politicians," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said of the visit to the Yasukuni Shrine.
It called on Japan to take actions that were "more conducive to improving and developing Sino-Japanese relations," citing the "current severe situation."
Koizumi said he was hoping for a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao (
Massive anti-Japanese protests erupted in major Chinese cities this month after Tokyo approved a new history textbook that critics say plays down Japan's wartime atrocities, including mass sex slavery and germ warfare. The protesters also have targeted Tokyo's Security Council bid.
Also fueling the tensions are disputes over gas-drilling in disputed waters and Koizumi's repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine.
"With feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology always engraved in mind, Japan has resolutely maintained, consistently since the end of World War II, never turning into a military power but an economic power, its principle of resolving all matters by peaceful means, without recourse through the use of force," Koizumi said.
Koizumi said Japan would stick to a "peaceful path" and increase its overseas development aid to Asian and African nations.
A Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman said in an interview in Jakarta that Koizumi's speech clearly showed Japan's regret, a core point he was hoping to convey to the delegates.
"We are not just rich people hanging around giving out money. We are doing this because our whole attitude is based on remorse," Akira Chiba said. "I do hope that the Chinese will hear this message too."
Japan's Kyodo News Agency said Koizumi's remarks were based on a 1995 speech by former prime minister Tomiichi Murayama marking the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II.
The two-day Indonesian summit draws together 80 nations to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first Asia-Africa conference that gave birth to the Nonaligned Movement, which tried to steer a neutral course between the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
RESPONSE: The transit sends a message that China’s alignment with other countries would not deter the West from defending freedom of navigation, an academic said Canadian frigate the Ville de Quebec and Australian guided-missile destroyer the Brisbane transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning, the first time the two nations have conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation. The Canadian and Australian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the passage, saying only that Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed surveillance and reconnaissance assets, along with warships and combat aircraft, to safeguard security across the Strait. The two vessels were observed transiting northward along the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, with Japan being their most likely destination,
GLOBAL ISSUE: If China annexes Taiwan, ‘it will not stop its expansion there, as it only becomes stronger and has more force to expand further,’ the president said China’s military and diplomatic expansion is not a sole issue for Taiwan, but one that risks world peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan would stand with the alliance of democratic countries to preserve peace through deterrence. Lai made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). “China is strategically pushing forward to change the international order,” Lai said, adding that China established the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched the Belt and Road Initiative, and pushed for yuan internationalization, because it wants to replace the democratic rules-based international
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
RSS