Japan Eyes Fence-Mending with New China Leadership

Tokyo, March 14 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government will look for a way to improve relations with China soured over the Senkaku Islands, after Xi Jinping was elected new Chinese president Thursday, although it has yet to find any. The Japanese government intends to keep a close watch on the Chinese new leadership's policy. But a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official said China's tough stance toward Japan is unlikely to change for the time being. Tensions between Japan and China have grown after Japan last September nationalized some of the East China Sea islands in Okinawa Prefecture, as China claims the islands as its own. On Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent Xi a congratulatory message. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga stressed at a news conference the need for dialogue between the two countries, saying, "Our door to dialogue with China is always open." Speaking of the Japanese government's stance toward fence-mending, an aide to Abe said, "The ball is in China's court." Since former Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wang Yi, who has strong connections to Japan's political and business circles, is set to become new foreign minister, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official expressed hopes that Wang's appointment will become "a turning point for building a mutually beneficial bilateral strategic partnership." But the two countries still differ greatly over the islands. The new Chinese leadership intends to strengthen authorities of the State Oceanic Administration while a senior official of the Japanese ministry has denied any concession. A Japanese government official expressed concerns that Wang's pro-Japan image may discourage him domestically from making efforts to improve bilateral relations. Moreover, China did not attend Japan's memorial ceremony for the second anniversary of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami on Monday in protest against Tokyo's treatment of a representative from Taiwan. The incident may intensify a confrontation between Japan and China.