PM Koizumi vows to strengthen ties with China, Asia

PM Koizumi vows to strengthen ties with China, Asia

TOKYO (Reuters): Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
held out an olive branch to regional rival China in his debut
parliamentary speech on Monday, avoiding a string of tricky
diplomatic issues that have irritated relations with Beijing.

In an apparent signal of his desire to mend strained ties with
China, Koizumi said that relations with Beijing were among
Tokyo's most important bilateral ties and vowed to boost
cooperation with the giant Asian neighbor.

But Koizumi, who late last month won a landslide victory to
become the nation's 11th prime minister in 13 years, also
reiterated that the U.S.-Japan alliance was the bedrock of
Tokyo's diplomatic and security policy.

"Japan's prosperity is based on Japan-U.S. relations, which
have functioned effectively," Koizumi told the Lower House of
parliament in his policy speech.

"Using the Japan-U.S. alliance as a basis, it is important
that we maintain and develop cooperative relations with our
neighboring countries such as China, South Korea, and Russia."

Japan has been locked in bitter disputes with China over a
string of issues, including a controversial visit to Japan last
month by former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui and the
government's approval of a school history textbook that critics
say glosses over Tokyo's wartime aggression.

Tokyo's ties with Beijing, never easy at the best of times,
were already strained by a trade spat over surging imports of
cheap Chinese vegetables and textiles, which resulted in Japan
imposing emergency import curbs on stone leeks, shiitake
mushrooms and a special type of straw.

"Relations with China are among the most important bilateral
relations for our country," Koizumi told parliament's Lower
House.

"We hope China will take a greater part in international
society and will continue to strengthen ties with them through
occasions such as the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (forum)
scheduled in autumn in Shanghai," he added.

In another sign of Tokyo's commitment to improve ties with
Beijing, Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka on Monday agreed to meet
her Chinese counterpart, Tang Jiaxuan, later this month in
Beijing on the sidelines of an Asia-Europe Meeting.

In a telephone conversation with Tang, Tanaka said she was
"hurt" by the controversy caused by the textbook, adding that
there was no change in Tokyo's "one China" policy, Jiji news
agency said.

Tanaka, daughter of late former prime minister Kakuei Tanaka
who in 1972 normalized ties with Beijing, also said that Japan
will not support any independence moves by Taiwan, which Beijing
considers a renegade province, Jiji added.

Controversies

Koizumi has also angered China by saying he would make a
pilgrimage to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which honors the
nation's war dead, including convicted war criminals.

But Koizumi avoided mention of the issue on Monday as well as
other controversial issues, such as changing the interpretation
of the nation's pacifist Constitution to allow Japan to help its
allies in the event of a foreign attack.

He has previously said that the ambiguous status of Japan's
military was "unnatural, suggesting that constitutional change
was needed.

"I tried to make it (the policy speech) as concise as
possible. I wanted to concentrate on what I wanted to say,"
Koizumi later told reporters when asked why he did not include
such issues in the speech.

"I said what I said on the Yasukuni or the collective security
issue only because I was asked by reporters."

On North Korea, Koizumi said Tokyo would keep up its efforts
to resolve the thorny issues which have kept the two countries
from establishing diplomatic ties.

"Regarding the humanitarian and security issues, we will try
our best to resolve them through negotiations," he said.

Japan and North Korea have held three rounds of talks aimed at
establishing diplomatic ties but have failed to make any tangible
progress. The latest round was held last October.

The alleged abduction of 10 Japanese citizens in the 1960s and
1970s by North Korea is one of the toughest issues barring the
two historic foes from establishing diplomatic relations.

Pyongyang has denied any kidnapping but has agreed to launch a
search for the "missing Japanese nationals".