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Japan, China continue talks on strained ties
(AFP)
Updated: 2006-02-12 14:26
"The efforts to mend soured Sino-Japan ties have begun with Prime Minister
Koizumi on the sidelines amid renewed focus on the leadership election of the
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in September," the major Japanese newspaper
Mainichi Shimbun newspaper commented on Friday.
Because the ruling coalition holds the majority in parliament, the new head
of the LDP, of which Koizumi is the incumbent president, would become the next
premier.
In a sign the LDP hopes to bridge the gap with Beijing, its policy chief
Hidenao Nakagawa plans to visit China from February 19 and former prime minister
Ryutaro Hashimoto will go in March, media reports said.
Despite the bilateral friction, China is Japan's largest trading partner,
leading much of the Japanese business community to push for an easing of
tensions.
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