Noda to tread carefully over China relations
Source: Agencies |
August 31, 2011, Wednesday
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YOSHIHIKO Noda was yesterday elected as Japan's sixth prime minister in five years, facing so many domestic problems that the last thing he needs is a sour relationship with China, his country's biggest trading partner.
Yet Noda is being viewed warily in China, with past comments supporting a Tokyo shrine honoring the dead of World War II, including Class-A war criminals, and saying that China's military buildup was creating regional unease.
Noda replaces Naoto Kan, who quit amid widespread criticism over his administration's handling of the tsunami and nuclear disasters.
A former finance minister, Noda will likely focus on those challenges, as well as reviving the stagnant economy and reducing Japan's massive national debt.
Noda said in 2005 and again earlier this month that convicted Japanese wartime leaders enshrined at the Yasukuni Shrine should no longer be seen as criminals.
Yasukuni visits by postwar politicians have often enraged Japan's neighbors, who see the shrine as a glorification of militarism and a symbol of Tokyo's failure to fully atone for its past imperialism.
Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the shrine had triggered a five-year chill in relations with China and South Korea.
Noda, 54, and the rest of Kan's Cabinet chose not to visit Yasukuni this year, and analysts believe Noda is unlikely to do so as prime minister, or make any strident statements about war criminals or Japan's wartime past.
"There's no way he is going to take some action on this," said Naoto Nonaka, a political science professor at Gakushuin University in Tokyo. "There's too much else to do."
Koichi Nakano, political science professor at Sophia University in Tokyo, said Noda is likely to play down his past comments.
"He has no interest in complicating his situation by creating an acrimonious atmosphere when he needs to cooperate with Asian nations to get out of Japan's economic quagmire," Nakano said.
Liang Yunxiang, a Japan expert at Peking University, said historical and territorial issues have been perennial sore spots, and so personalities and attitudes of leaders matter in whether these problems affect the broader relationship. "Yoshihiko Noda has not been friendly to China, so it's not a good start," he said.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday sent a formal telegram congratulating Noda and urging both sides to work together to promote cooperation.
Yet Noda is being viewed warily in China, with past comments supporting a Tokyo shrine honoring the dead of World War II, including Class-A war criminals, and saying that China's military buildup was creating regional unease.
Noda replaces Naoto Kan, who quit amid widespread criticism over his administration's handling of the tsunami and nuclear disasters.
A former finance minister, Noda will likely focus on those challenges, as well as reviving the stagnant economy and reducing Japan's massive national debt.
Noda said in 2005 and again earlier this month that convicted Japanese wartime leaders enshrined at the Yasukuni Shrine should no longer be seen as criminals.
Yasukuni visits by postwar politicians have often enraged Japan's neighbors, who see the shrine as a glorification of militarism and a symbol of Tokyo's failure to fully atone for its past imperialism.
Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the shrine had triggered a five-year chill in relations with China and South Korea.
Noda, 54, and the rest of Kan's Cabinet chose not to visit Yasukuni this year, and analysts believe Noda is unlikely to do so as prime minister, or make any strident statements about war criminals or Japan's wartime past.
"There's no way he is going to take some action on this," said Naoto Nonaka, a political science professor at Gakushuin University in Tokyo. "There's too much else to do."
Koichi Nakano, political science professor at Sophia University in Tokyo, said Noda is likely to play down his past comments.
"He has no interest in complicating his situation by creating an acrimonious atmosphere when he needs to cooperate with Asian nations to get out of Japan's economic quagmire," Nakano said.
Liang Yunxiang, a Japan expert at Peking University, said historical and territorial issues have been perennial sore spots, and so personalities and attitudes of leaders matter in whether these problems affect the broader relationship. "Yoshihiko Noda has not been friendly to China, so it's not a good start," he said.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday sent a formal telegram congratulating Noda and urging both sides to work together to promote cooperation.
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