nan | 楠木

Shinzo Abe, the new Japanese prime minister, visited China last week and met with Premier Wen Jiabao and President Hu Jintao. This is an ice-breaking visit, which hopefully will set problematic Sino-Japanese relations back on track.
I don’t know if the nationalists are disappointed (or even angered) with this sudden turn of events. They probably wish that Wen & Hu took a harder line — at least requesting Abe to clearly state that he will not visit the Yasukuni Shrine.
What’s really interesting though, is how fast events developed. China is Abe’s first visit abroad since ascending to power. The event partially confirms my belief that neither Chinese nor Japanese politicians want the cold relations between the two countries to continue. Koizumi stepping down provided both countries an opportunity to improve relations without losing “face” domestically.
It’s true that the two countries have some serious issues outstanding. Historical issues are a part of this, but I still believe they should only be taken at face-value — the real conflict is not whether Japan truly acknowledge their sins in WWII (though this itself is an issue) but rather Japan acknowledging the rise of China as a major power in Asia. This is the root of all conflicts between the two: China is rising, and Japan has to learn to cope and adjust to the changing Asia.