Stronger China-Japan ties, but with riders

By Wu Jiao (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-02 10:03

Yang also warned that the faction-ridden DPJ would complicate the foreign policy stance further.

The party now has members both from the far left and far right wings, as well as from the younger generation and older ones.

Even if DPJ remains in power for its full-term, it is unclear whether the party would retain Hatoyama at the helm for the entire period, Yang pointed out.

"Japan's China policy may also shift with any likely leadership changes," he said.

However, "as Japan will advance its "return to Asia" policy to drag itself out of the economic and political morass, the DPJ government would be more keen now to cooperate with China and other Asian neighbors," said Yang.

Japan is no longer likely to target only the US as its most important economic market, "if you look at all the trade statistics, investment, and the movement of people", said Hitoshi Tanaka, a former senior Japanese diplomat who advises DPJ lawmakers.

"We have to survive as a prosperous nation and, for that, we need East Asia to become a much more vibrant place," Tanaka told Reuters.

Other experts too noted that the Hatoyama government did not envisage any other major bilateral concerns with China that needed urgent resolution.

Yukiko Fukagawa, a professor at the School of Political Sciences and Economics at Waseda University, said the Chinese and Japanese economies were complementary in nature and have huge potential.

"We should also cooperate in other fields, including politics, and in coordinated efforts to combat pandemics and climate change," Fukagawa said.

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