Seoul eyes Tokyo’s overture warily

Tokyo is attempting to calm some of the outrage stirred up in neighboring countries by the visit Tuesday of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to the controversial Yasukuni war shrine, according to a report in the Japanese media yesterday.
Yomiuri Shimbun, a Tokyo daily, quoted officials at Japan’s Foreign Ministry as saying they wanted to arrange meetings among the next Japanese prime minister, who will assume office in October, and the leaders of Japan and South Korea. They said those meetings might be at the summit session of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation nations in November or at a meeting hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations the following month.
The Blue House seemed to leave the door open for such a meeting, but not with any enthusiasm. In a radio interview yesterday, Suh Choo-suk, a senior secretary for security policy, ruled out any meeting with a prime minister who has visited the shrine while in office. But he said the Blue House has “not considered” the prospect of a meeting with the next Japanese leader, at least until he crosses Seoul’s line in the sand by visiting the shrine.
Vice Foreign Minister Lee Kyu-hyung also told reporters yesterday that it was too early to discuss the possibilities for resumed top-level meetings.
Another ministry official expanded on that comment. “China’s stance on Yasukuni is firm as well. I am quite confident that Beijing will oppose a trilateral meeting,” he said, “and that is a consensus. But we are not closing the door entirely right now.”

by Brian Lee