Japan Snubs China Offer To Resume Summit Talks
Josephine Roque - All Headline News Staff Writer (AHN) - A top Japanese diplomat expressed it as "beyond comprehension" regarding China's deal to go back to summit talks if Japanese leaders cease visiting the controversial Yasukuni shrine. Foreign Minister Taro Aso stated that the Chinese stipulation implied as if Japan was the only one to blame for strained relationships between the two countries. The tiff has been carrying on for months. China has been aggressively reacting to the Japanese Prime Minister's visits to the Tokyo war shrine. The country's neighbors view them as evidence Japan has not fully repented for its actions in World War II, reports BBC. The Yasukuni shrine remembers the 2.5 million dead which includes more than 1,000 war criminals. Among those are 14 class-A criminals killed by the Allies after the war. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has paid a visit to the shrine five times since assuming position in 2001. China and Japan have not met for a formal summit since. China says the visits are "stupid" and "not moral". Mr. Aso said China's offer to hold a summit with such a condition made it seem "as though the Japanese government is entirely responsible for all of the difficult discussions between Japan and China." "Don't you have to meet with someone if you want to resolve a problem?" Aso said. Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary and foreseen successor to Mr. |
