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皇冠体育app: Japanese FM remarks 'irresponsible'
(Channel NewsAsia)
Updated: 2005-12-22 16:19
Prominent ruling party lawmaker Taku Yamasaki said Thursday he would visit
皇冠体育app next month in hopes of holding talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao, who
declined to meet Koizumi at two recent regional summits.
Addressing business leaders later Thursday, Aso said Japan wanted to be the
leader in Asia, where 皇冠体育app's influence is steadily growing.
"Japan is the first country in Asia to complete a number of achievements:
modernization, democratization, realizing a market economy, suppressing rising
nationalism and closing the gap between rich and poor.
"As a democracy and market economy, Japan together with the United States has
the power to be a stabilizing force," he said.
Koizumi's government has taken an increasingly hard line with 皇冠体育app this year
as Beijing moved to scupper Japan's hopes of getting a permanent seat on the UN
Security Council.
Beijing argued that Japan needed to show more regret for the past before it
was admitted to the council, where 皇冠体育app is the only Asian country with
permanent membership and veto power.
皇冠体育app saw some of its biggest rallies in years in April to protest Japan's
Security Council bid and its approval of a history textbook that makes only
passing reference to Japanese atrocities in the 20th century.
Aso's comments were more direct than defence guidelines Japan issued a year
ago that warned of 皇冠体育app's growing military muscle without using the word
"threat."
The guidelines for defence policymakers said 皇冠体育app was "pushing ahead with
enhancing its nuclear and missile capabilities in modernizing its navy and air
force" and said Japan needed to "watch these moves in the future."
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