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Japan’s Leader Expresses Willingness to Meet Chinese Counterparts Japan’s Leader Expresses Willingness to Meet Chinese Counterparts
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TOKYO — Japan’s new prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has said that he is willing to meet with Chinese leaders to cool tensions in an emotional island dispute, asserting that the two countries should not let the disagreement further damage their huge economic relationship.TOKYO — Japan’s new prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has said that he is willing to meet with Chinese leaders to cool tensions in an emotional island dispute, asserting that the two countries should not let the disagreement further damage their huge economic relationship.
“There might be a need to re-establish the relationship, starting with a summit,” Mr. Abe said on a television talk show late Tuesday, referring to the fraying of ties between Tokyo and Beijing over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. While he reiterated his position that there was “no room for negotiations” over Japan’s control of the islands, Mr. Abe said the two countries, which have Asia’s largest economies, should rebuild what he called a “strategic partnership of mutual benefit,” according to comments reported on Wednesday by Kyodo News. “There might be a need to re-establish the relationship, starting with a summit,” Mr. Abe said late Tuesday on a television talk show, referring to the fraying of ties between Tokyo and Beijing over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. While he reiterated his position that there was “no room for negotiations” over Japan’s control of the islands, Mr. Abe said the two countries, which have Asia’s largest economies, should rebuild what he called a “strategic partnership of mutual benefit,” according to comments reported on Wednesday by Kyodo News.
The apparent olive branch comes amid a flurry of diplomatic activity in the last week aimed at ratcheting down an increasingly heated standoff in which both nations scrambled fighter jets earlier this month, prompting a debate in Japan over whether its planes should fire warning shots. Tensions over the islands, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China, date back decades and flared anew last year when the Japanese government bought three of the islands, igniting violent protests against Japanese businesses in China. The apparent olive branch comes amid a flurry of diplomatic activity by Japan in the last week aimed at ratcheting down an increasingly heated standoff in which both nations scrambled fighter jets this month, prompting a debate in Japan over whether its planes should fire warning shots. Tensions over the islands, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China, date back decades and flared anew last year when the Japanese government decided to buy three of the islands, igniting violent protests against Japanese businesses in China.
To defuse tensions, a Japanese delegation led by former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama and including leading lawmakers from Mr. Abe’s governing Liberal Democratic Party met in Beijing on Monday with Tang Jiaxuan, a former Chinese foreign minister with ties to Japan. That visit followed a meeting on Friday that the Chinese head of state, Xi Jinping, held with Natsuo Yamaguchi, the leader of a small Buddhist party that is a junior partner in Mr. Abe’s ruling coalition. To defuse tensions, a Japanese delegation led by former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama and including leading lawmakers from Mr. Abe’s governing Liberal Democratic Party met in Beijing on Monday with Tang Jiaxuan, a former Chinese foreign minister with ties to Japan. That visit followed a meeting on Friday that the Chinese head of state, Xi Jinping, held with Natsuo Yamaguchi, the leader of a small Buddhist party that is a junior partner in Mr. Abe’s governing coalition.
After that meeting, Mr. Yamaguchi, of the New Komeito Party, told reporters that he had delivered a letter from Mr. Abe to the Chinese leader, though he did not disclose the letter’s contents. He also said that he suggested to Mr. Xi that the two nations hold a summit meeting, to which the Chinese leader replied that he would “seriously consider” the idea.After that meeting, Mr. Yamaguchi, of the New Komeito Party, told reporters that he had delivered a letter from Mr. Abe to the Chinese leader, though he did not disclose the letter’s contents. He also said that he suggested to Mr. Xi that the two nations hold a summit meeting, to which the Chinese leader replied that he would “seriously consider” the idea.
Despite such diplomatic efforts, Mr. Xi seemed on Monday to cast cold water onto hopes of a quick resolution to the islands dispute, saying that he would not bargain over China’s territorial interests. But Mr. Xi seemed on Monday to cast cold water onto hopes of a quick resolution to the dispute, saying that he would not bargain over China’s territorial interests, though he did not specifically mention the island chain.
The delicate diplomacy underscores the emotions in both nations, where the islands have taken on different symbolic meanings. In China, they are seen as the last unreturned piece of Chinese territory seized during the building of Japan’s empire a century ago, and thus a sign that Japan remains unrepentant about its early-20th-century militarism. To many Japanese, the islands have become emblematic of the broader challenge that their nation, long Asia’s strongest power, faces from the emergence of an increasingly powerful China bent on settling old scores. The diplomatic maneuvering underscores the emotions in both nations. In China, the islands are seen as the last unreturned piece of Chinese territory seized during the building of Japan’s empire more than a century ago, and thus a sign that Japan remains unrepentant. To many Japanese, the islands have become emblematic of the broader challenge that their nation, long Asia’s strongest power, faces from the emergence of an increasingly powerful China seemingly bent on settling old scores.
But China’s rise is seen here as creating not just a military threat, but also an economic opportunity. This has led to the balancing act faced by Mr. Abe, a conservative who became prime minister a month ago with promises to defend Japan’s territorial claims but also improve ties. While his supporters in his party’s nationalist wing want him to take a bolder stand against rising Chinese pressure, another group that has traditionally supported the Liberal Democrats, big business, wants less friction with China, Japan’s biggest export market. Many Japanese officials now say they think China — by sending government ships and aircraft near the islands almost daily — has embarked on a long-term strategy aimed at pressing Japan to admit that a territorial dispute exists, and then eventually to agree to some form of joint stewardship, if not conceding the islands to China altogether.
To offset China’s growing military strength, Mr. Abe is seeking Japan’s first military spending increase in 11 years to bolster its ability to defend its southwestern islands, including the disputed island group. He has also vowed to improve ties with the United States, Japan’s traditional protector, and is working to arrange a summit meeting with President Obama in Washington in late February. In a show of American support for its longtime ally, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Jan. 20 that the United States opposed unilateral actions to try to undermine Japanese control of the islands. Beijing responded angrily, urging her to watch her words.
However, concerns that both Japan and the United States may be declining powers have led to growing anxieties here about Tokyo’s ability to resist China’s growing strength. In the islands dispute, many Japanese officials now say they think China has embarked on a long-term strategy aimed at pressing Japan first to admit that a territorial dispute exists — something that Tokyo has so far resisted — and then eventually to agree to some form of joint stewardship, if not conceding the islands to China altogether.
This Chinese pressure has taken the form of almost daily appearances near the islands by ships and more recently aircraft from Chinese civilian agencies, but not from the military, to avoid a dangerous escalation. Still, the Japanese have responded in kind by sending their own ships and aircraft to intercept them, fanning fears that a misstep could set off a violent clash. These concerns grew earlier this month when both nations scrambled their fighter jets.
In a show of American support for its longtime ally, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Jan. 20 that the United States opposed unilateral actions to try to undermine Japanese control of the islands, bringing an angry response from Beijing urging her to watch her words.