China dismissed Japan's apologies for its wartime past yesterday, but Tokyo sought to cool tempers over a snub to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
One Foreign Ministry official in Tokyo said the government would demand an explanation why Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi (
Japanese stocks fell for the second straight day yesterday amid concerns that the snub and the resumption of a war of words between Asia's two most economically powerful nations could affect bilateral trade worth about US$170 billion last year.
China originally said that Wu had cut short the trip because of pressing domestic business, but Chinese officials later made it clear it was a reaction to Koizumi's refusal to give up visits to the Yasukuni war shrine, which Beijing sees as a symbol of Tokyo's past militarism.
"Such annual calls at Yasukuni have put mutual visits of top government leaders between China and Japan on hold," the state-run China Daily newspaper said in an editorial.
Japan has apologized for wartime atrocities during its 1931 to 1945 occupation of parts of China. Koizumi himself made a public apology last month in a speech at an Asia-Africa summit in Indonesia.
But Koizumi makes a point of visiting Yasukuni, where Japan's 2.5 million war dead are honored.
Last week, while Wu was in the country, he said he would make an "appropriate decision" on when to go again. He also defended his visits to the shrine.
Japanese officials were clearly angered by Wu's sudden departure, but Japan's top government spokesman sought to cool tempers yesterday, saying he would no longer comment on the incident.
"Commenting further would not be constructive for Japan-China relations, so I will not comment," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda told a news conference.
"It is our objective to remove the various problems that lie between Japan and China and to develop our relations," he said. "I think the same goes for China."
Koizumi struck the same note, telling reporters: "Our relations should emphasize friendship and look to the future."
However, Japan has asked China for an explanation for Wu's cancelation of her meeting with Koizumi, a Foreign Ministry official told reporters. The official did not elaborate.
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