Japan Brief / FPCJ, No. 0913
March 1, 2009


Foreign Minister Nakasone’s Visit to China

Minister for Foreign Affairs Hirofumi Nakasone made his first visit as foreign minister to China from February 28 to March 1, holding separate talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Premier Wen Jiabao, and others. The following is a summary of the talks based on newspaper reports.

At the Japan-China foreign ministers’ meeting held at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on February 28, Foreign Minister Nakasone and Foreign Minister Yang discussed, among other topics, (1) the response to North Korea, which appears to be preparing to launch a ballistic missile; (2) measures to deal with the global economic crisis; (3) the problem of gas field exploration in the East China Sea; (4) the problem of the Senkaku Islands; and (5) cooperation in the criminal and judicial fields.

(1) Regarding North Korea’s apparent preparations to launch a ballistic missile on the pretext of launching an artificial satellite, the two foreign ministers agreed to call on North Korea for self-restraint, saying that it “should not take action that increases tension and threatens the peace and security of the region.” Considering that North Korea was showing signs of preparing to launch a ballistic missile, Foreign Minister Nakasone conveyed the opinion of the Japanese government that even if Pyongyang asserts that it is launching an artificial satellite, if there was a launch, it would violate a resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council.

(2) Regarding measures to deal with the global economic crisis, the two foreign ministers expressed their opposition to protectionist moves and affirmed that Japan and China would cooperate closely toward the Group of 20 financial summit in April.

(3) Regarding the problem of gas field exploration in the East China Sea, concerning the joint gas field development agreed by the two countries in June 2008, Foreign Minister Nakasone appealed to the Chinese side to commence negotiations as soon as possible. He said, “It is surely regrettable that negotiations on the conclusion of an international promise have not yet begun. A responsible and courageous first step is strongly required.” Foreign Minister Yang replied only that China intended to continue working-level consultations.

(4) Regarding the problem of the Senkaku Islands, Foreign Minister Nakasone emphasized Japan’s standpoint that the islands are the exclusive sovereign territory of Japan. The foreign ministers agreed to make efforts so that the different standpoints of the two countries would not impact overall bilateral relations.

(5) On cooperation in the criminal and judicial fields, the foreign ministers agreed to begin talks as soon as possible toward the conclusion of an extradition treaty and a treaty allowing sentenced criminals to serve prison time in their home countries.

On March 1, after meeting Chinese Premier Wen in Beijing, Foreign Minister Nakasone commented to the press, “This was my first visit to China as foreign minister. We were able to exchange opinions on various issues, including bilateral problems and international and regional problems, and we managed to reach agreement on many points.”

Newspaper Editorials

Of Japan’s main newspapers, the Yomiuri Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, The Nikkei, and Sankei Shimbun all carried editorials on Foreign Minister Nakasone’s visit to China.

The Yomiuri editorial (March 2), headlined “China’s deeds show accord lacks substance,” described as perfectly natural the view expressed by Foreign Minister Nakasone that a launch by North Korea, even if Pyongyang claimed it was an artificial satellite, would be a violation of a UN Security Council resolution. It stressed, “Japan and China have clearly different notions about the degree of threat posed by North Korean missiles. It is essential that Japan continues to prod China to exercise its influence over North Korea.” Regarding the Senkaku Islands, the Yomiuri urged the Japanese government to “continue to take a tough stance on this issue.” Noting that China was being negative toward the start of negotiations on joint gas field development in the East China Sea, it commented with concern, “If China continues to act like this, the agreement made between then Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and Chinese President Hu Jintao in May last year to work to establish ‘strategic and mutually beneficial relations’ will become almost completely devoid of substance.”

Under the headline “Japan-China foreign ministers’ talks: Don’t let the Senkaku issue heighten political friction,” the Mainichi editorial (March 2) welcomed the agreement reached in the meeting to make efforts to ensure that the Senkaku Islands problem does not impact overall bilateral relations. It said, “At a time when cooperation is necessary in response to North Korea, the financial and economic crises, global warming, and other problems, increased political friction between Japan and China would not benefit anybody.” On the other hand, though, the Mainichi voiced regret that no progress had been made on the gas field issue. Stating that “joint gas field development would be a joint project between Japan and China symbolizing ‘strategic and mutually beneficial relations,’” it requested, “We urge the Chinese side to make efforts to move the agreement forward.”

The Nikkei editorial (March 2), titled “Japan and China should discuss economic matters, too,” commented that the meeting had achieved results on such issues as North Korea’s missile launch problem and cooperation in the criminal and judicial fields but added, “Regrettably their discussions did not go into details about cooperation between Japan and China toward overcoming the economic crisis.” Noting that a meeting between Foreign Minister Nakasone and Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Qishan (in charge of financial affairs), which had been requested by the Japanese side, was not realized, The Nikkei observed, “If China is negative about cooperation with Japan in response to the financial crisis, that is a pity. China and Japan, the number-one and number-two countries in the world in terms of foreign reserves and their possession of US government bonds, must cooperate and fulfill their roles in stabilizing the world economy.”

The Sankei editorial (March 1), headlined “Resolute stance required on Senkaku Islands,” noted that two Chinese ocean research vessels had entered Japan’s territorial waters in December 2008 and remarked, “From now on it is expected that China will further escalate acts to expand its interests. Japan must remain alert.” Regarding the fact that agreement had been reached in the latest talks not to let the Senkaku problem impact overall bilateral relations, the Sankei responded critically, “This does not resolve the problem.” Adding a request to the Japanese government, it continued, “Properly conveying to China the fact that its acts are solidifying the mistrust that the Japanese people feel toward that country is the starting point for a truly mutually beneficial relationship.”

(Copyright 2009 Foreign Press Center / Japan)