The aim of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's visit to China is to develop and strengthen economic collaboration, because when Japan develops the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with the United States, he needs to show that Japan's stance is not disproportionately inclined toward the US.

Apart from economic collaboration, the Japanese government has to discuss security matters, too, with its Chinese counterpart. When Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba visited China, he and the Japanese government wanted to develop common regional security arrangements with China, especially a crisis management mechanism. Constructing on this mechanism, the Japanese government has been trying to discuss the development of mutually strategic reciprocal relations.

But the postponement of Noda's visit to China last week, apparently because the original date coincided with the 74th anniversary of the Nanjing incident (called Nanjing Massacre by Chinese), which brought untold sufferings and numerous deaths to the Chinese people, has had a complex influence on Japanese people, one of which is akin to embarrassment. Noda will now visit China on Dec 25-26.