Koizumi offers apology to Asia

Koizumi offers apology to Asia

Muninggar Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Japan's prime minister apologized on Friday for his country's
aggression during World War II, in an effort to ease tensions
with China and win support for Japan's bid for a seat on the
United Nations Security Council.

"In the past, Japan, through its colonial rule and aggression,
caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many
countries, particularly to those of Asian nations," Junichiro
Koizumi said during the opening of the two-day Asian-African
Summit in Jakarta on Friday, echoing previous apologies by
Japanese leaders.

Speaking before leaders from more than 100 countries from the
two continents, including Chinese President Hu Jintao, Koizumi
said, "Japan squarely faces these facts of history in a spirit of
humility."

The apology comes amid a decline in relations between Japan
and China following the Japanese government's approval of a
history textbook that whitewashes the country's wartime
atrocities. Violent anti-Japanese protests have been held in
numerous Chinese cities.

Koizumi later told reporters that he expected to meet with
President Hu Jintao for talks on Saturday.

But a Chinese official said on Friday that China could not
confirm a meeting between Hu and Koizumi would take place on the
sidelines of the summit.

"We cannot confirm (it). The foreign ministries of the two
countries are still talking," Kong Quan, a spokesman for the
Chinese foreign ministry, said during a news conference in
Jakarta.

Discussing aid, Japan promised to provide official development
assistance (ODA) of 0.7 percent of its gross national income to
developing countries to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals.

Since 1978, Japan has been the top ODA donor to Asia, Japan's
foreign ministry says. It has disbursed more than US$100 billion
in official development assistance since 1960.

Koizumi also addressed the interests of developing African
nations, announcing plans to double its ODA to African nations
over the next three years. Most of the assistance will be in the
form of grants.

Japan has disbursed a total of some $24 billion in aid to
African nations since 1960, its foreign ministry said.

The prime minister also said Japan considered "peace building
to be of great importance" because peace and security are the
basis for economic development.

"The United Nations, particularly the Security Council, needs
to be reformed so that the organization reflects the realities of
today's world. Japan will cooperate to the fullest to take a
decision on the reform of the Security Council," Koizumi said.

China has said Japan should not be eligible for a seat on the
Security Council until it atones for its World War II atrocities.

Koizumi is scheduled to visit tsunami-hit Aceh on Saturday
before leaving for Bandung to mark the 50th anniversary of the
Asia-Africa Conference.

While Koizumi was seeking to ease tensions with China in
Jakarta, 80 Japanese lawmakers visited a controversial shrine
dedicated to the nation's war dead on Friday despite objections
by China, Associated Press reported.

Although there were no Cabinet ministers among the group,
China's foreign ministry expressed "strong dissatisfaction over
the negative actions of some Japanese politicians".