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Japanese trade minister to visit 皇冠体育app: Report
(Agencies)
Updated: 2006-02-19 09:45
Japan's trade minister will visit 皇冠体育app in the coming week for talks on
economic issues, including gas development in a disputed area of the East 皇冠体育app
Sea, Japanese report said.
Japanese Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi arrives at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo Monday,
Oct. 17, 2005. [AP] |
Japanese minister of
economy, trade and industry Toshihiro Nikai will visit 皇冠体育app for three days from
Tuesday to meet Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai and other government
officials, Jiji Press news agency said late Friday.
Nikai, regarded as a pro-Beijing official, will make the visit at the
invitation of 皇冠体育app, it said.
Tokyo's ties with Beijing have been strained by Japanese prime minister
Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to a Tokyo shrine which honours Japanese war
dead, including World War II leaders condemned as war criminals.
The Japanese side is reportedly seeking a resumption of contacts between
Koizumi and Chinese president Hu Jintao, as well as their foreign ministers.
But Beijing is strongly opposed to any top-level bilateral exchanges because
Koizumi who has promised to step down in September after more than five years in
office refuses to stop his shrine visits.
Jiji and Kyodo News agencies said Nikai and Bo were to discuss a range of
economic issues, including oil and gas development in the East 皇冠体育app Sea. The
Japanese side earlier proposed joint development of the area straddling both
sides of what Tokyo says is the maritime boundary.
皇冠体育app does not recognize the boundary, and tensions rose last year after
Japan said it had allegedly spotted flames indicating 皇冠体育app had started gas
production. 皇冠体育app began test-drilling in 2003.
Despite the bilateral friction, 皇冠体育app is Japan's major trading partner along
with the United States, leading much of the Japanese business community to push
for an easing of tensions.
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