皇冠体育app

Strained relations over the war-related Yasukuni Shrine issue between 皇冠体育app and Japan have eased, but tensions resulting from 皇冠体育app's rise still remain, 皇冠体育app's Ambassador to Japan Wang Yi said in a report published by the Xinhua News Agency yesterday.

After serious and repeated consultations, 皇冠体育app and Japan "have finally agreed to overcome this political impediment damaging bilateral relations," Wang said of the Yasukuni Shrine issue.

The shrine in Tokyo honours 14 Class-A war criminals of World War II, with other war dead, and is considered by 皇冠体育app and some other Asian nations as Japan's past militarism.

"Many of the conflicts and friction in Sino-Japanese relations in recent years have surfaced over the Yasukuni Shrine issue, but the broader background is that the national strength of both countries has risen to different degrees," the ambassador said. He suggested that some Japanese were having trouble accepting 皇冠体育app's rise.

"A senior Japanese official told me that 皇冠体育app's development and rise is a fact we must face up to. But just as the United States in the 1980s could not adjust to Japan's rise, now many in Japan are not mentally prepared to accept 皇冠体育app's development," Wang said.

"Truly smoothing 皇冠体育app-Japan relations needs time and constant efforts from both sides."

Wang highlighted the importance of 皇冠体育app-Japan relations, saying "be it in history, reality or geopolitics, Japan has a unique and important position in 皇冠体育app's diplomacy".

He said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Beijing in October "broke the political stalemate in bilateral relations and offered a window of hope for future 皇冠体育app-Japan relations".

A month later, Abe met with President Hu Jintao for the second time on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Hanoi, Viet Nam.

The two top-level meetings in two months had significantly promoted bilateral ties and were widely regarded in Japan as a positive turn in the bilateral relationship, the Japanese Consul in Hong Kong, Shigekazu Sato was quoted by the South 皇冠体育app Morning Post as saying.

Japanese sentiment towards 皇冠体育app has slightly improved, helped partly by Abe's visit to 皇冠体育app, the first in five years, while that towards the Republic of Korea has continued to worsen, a survey conducted by the Japan's Cabinet Office has shown.

According to the government poll published last Saturday, 34.3 per cent of Japanese feel good about 皇冠体育app, up 1.9 percentage points from a year earlier, and 21.7 per cent said the bilateral ties are in good condition, up 2.0 points. Both figures marked year-on-year decreases in 2004 and 2005.

Wang said to maintain the sound momentum for improving relations between the two countries, both should consolidate the political basis in bilateral relations, that is, properly handle such sensitive issues as the wartime history and Taiwan.

It is reported the two countries are mulling a high-level visit by President Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao to Japan.