Chinese official cuts stay in Japan short

BEIJING – China on Tuesday blamed Japanese comments about a war shrine for its decision to cut short a visit to Tokyo by one of Beijing’s top officials, setting off a new round of sniping between the Asian powers as Japan demanded an apology for the apparent snub.

Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi abruptly canceled a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and left Tokyo on Monday in a move that appears to have shaken a tenuous truce between the two rivals, which are trying to dissipate ill will unleashed during anti-Japanese protests in China last month.

Kong Quan, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, said Beijing was upset about remarks Japanese leaders made during Wu’s trip concerning visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which critics say glorifies Tokyo’s militaristic past. China’s Xinhua news agency denounced Koizumi for what it said was his remark that he did not see why he should stop visiting the memorial.

“China’s government attaches great importance to its relations with Japan and has made unrelenting efforts in this regard,” Kong said. “This visit by Vice Premier Wu Yi to Japan gives testimony to such efforts.

“What is very regrettable is that during Vice Premier Wu Yi’s visit, the Japanese leaders made repeated remarks on the Yasukuni Shrine, which is not conducive to bilateral relations.”

But Japanese officials condemned the sudden departure as a breach of political etiquette.

“In terms of manners, it lacked common sense,” said Internal Affairs Minister Taro Aso.

Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura complained to reporters that “there was no word of apology.”

“There is supposed to be a word of apology, and without it a society cannot function,” he said.

Last month, when tensions were at their highest, Koizumi and Chinese President Hu Jintao met on the sidelines of a conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, to discuss their differences. Both agreed to work together to improve relations.

Beijing has long objected to Koizumi’s annual visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan’s 2.5 million war dead – including convicted war criminals who ordered Tokyo’s brutal invasion of other Asian countries in the first half of the 20th century.

Many Chinese believe Japan has never truly shown remorse for offenses committed during its invasion of China, including germ warfare experiments and sex slavery of thousands of women, and Koizumi’s visits further aggravate that resentment.

Koizumi said Tuesday he would make “an appropriate decision (about future visits) … after examining the big picture.”