China to get war apology

China to get war apology

TOKYO (Reuters): When Chinese President Jiang Zemin visits Tokyo next month, he will receive the same direct apology from Japan as the one issued to visiting South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, a Foreign Ministry official said on Friday.

"China is to get the same kind of apology as South Korea got, in a joint declaration," when Jiang meets Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, the official said.

Obuchi issued on Thursday the most thorough apology to any individual nation for Japan's brutal wartime actions in a joint declaration with Kim.

The declaration said Obuchi "expressed deep remorse and extended a heartfelt apology to the people of South Korea, having humbly accepted the historical fact that Japan inflicted heavy damage and pain on the people of South Korea through its colonial rule."