Japan cautious on PRC claims of political sabotage

Japan warned against rushing to the conclusion that Chinese dumplings behind a recent health scare were intentionally poisoned, following allegations of politically motivated sabotage.

A senior Chinese official on Wednesday said the frozen dumplings, which sickened at least 10 victims in Japan, may have been poisoned by people opposed to friendly ties between the two countries.

But Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said the Chinese side had "yet to reach a firm conclusion."

"It would be better not to specify the cause when we have not completed a full investigation," he told a media conference.

Japan China have been working since 2006 to repair political relations which had hit rock bottom amid a row over Tokyo's past imperialism and a territorial dispute. Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) is scheduled to pay a visit to Tokyo early this year.

The suggestion of a political motive behind the health scare was made by Vice Minister of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine Wei Chuanzhong (魏傳忠) to a Japanese government mission on Wednesday.

"We cannot deny the possibility that a small group of discontented elements who do not wish for the development of China-Japan friendship may have taken extreme measures," he said, in footage aired on Japanese television.

He did not say whether the culprits were Chinese or Japanese.

Despite Japanese government's cautious stance, outspoken Japanese Health Minister Yoichi Masuzoe on Tuesday had also suggested the poisoning may have been deliberate.

As speculation remained rife on the cause of the poisoning, Japanese media have been full of stories on food safety, ranging from Chinese foodstuffs hidden in popular menus to how dumplings are made at Japanese factories.

Japanese Minister Yasuo Fukuda yesterday admitted the health ministry had been late in having an overall picture of what happened as local offices had received complaints about poisoning separately.

"With information spread apart, the government has been unable to tackle the issue in unison," he told a parliamentary committee, vowing to make it easier for consumers to complain.

China, Japan's largest trading partner and its second-biggest supplier of imported food, has been hit by a string of scandals over its products.

Thousands Japanese have said they felt ill after eating frozen meat dumplings produced in China, with the health ministry confirming that 10 of them suffered pesticide poisoning.

The scare on Wednesday led instant-noodle pioneer Nissin Food Products to scrap a planned merger of its frozen food business with Japan Tobacco Inc, a unit of which imported the dumplings.