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".