First in line for a visit, Seoul makes Japan worry

TOKYO ― Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao is expected to visit Japan in mid April but first he will visit South Korea, diplomatic sources said yesterday. Sources familiar with the circumstances said that Mr. Wen’s prior stop in Seoul has made Japanese officials anxious.
During a visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to China in October of last year, Tokyo devoted enormous efforts to bring about Mr. Wen’s visit. The visit has a special meaning for Japan because bilateral ties had deteriorated under the previous Japanese administration after visits by then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japanese war dead, including some war criminals. Seoul’s request for a visit was made in January. Diplomatic sources said that the timetable set by Beijing was deliberate, as current Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has not made a concrete promise not to visit the shrine, although he has refrained from doing so since he became prime minister. The Chinese prime minister is expected to hold a speech in front of the Japanese national assembly and will discuss bilateral issues such as resuming Japanese rice exports to China.

By Yeh Young-june JoongAng Ilbo [africanu@joongang.co.kr]