TOKYO -- — Two weeks after China commemorated the 70th anniversary of the infamous horrors perpetrated in Nanking by occupying Japanese troops, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is heading to Beijing for a four-day visit, invoking an impending anniversary with happier connotations.
The coming year will mark the 30th since the signing of the Japan-China Treaty of Peace and Friendship, Fukuda reminds audiences. And he rattles off talking points to show how far the relationship has come: the 5 million people who travel between the two countries annually; and the deepening economic integration that has made Japan the biggest foreign investor in China, while turning China into Japan's biggest trading partner.
The treaty is also special to Fukuda because it was signed when his father, Takeo, was prime minister. The elder Fukuda is remembered as the prime minister who shifted Japanese foreign policy toward Asia, delivering a speech that pledged to make Japan a good neighbor and undertaking initiatives that brought a greater Asian component to Tokyo's Washington-centric diplomatic relations.
Since taking power in September, his son has signaled that the father's pro-Asian doctrine is very much alive.
The younger Fukuda, 71, will be among friends in China, where his family name produces a warm welcome, and he has long-cultivated friendships at the top levels of the Communist Party.
"The prime minister has many old friends in China, and the primary purpose of the visit is to reconfirm those personal relationships and trust," said his spokesman, Hiroshi Suzuki.
Fukuda will meet with President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, and make a symbolic visit to Qufu, the reputed birthplace of Confucius, whose philosophy is shared by both China and Japan.
Fukuda is also expected to help coordinate the timing of Hu's much-anticipated return visit to Japan in spring, the next step in a series of meetings aimed at getting the often-fraught relationship into working order.
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Good timing for China
Having a sympathetic Japanese politician in power is a welcome development for a China in an Olympics year that will bring extra scrutiny, especially for its human rights policies and environmental record. Fukuda presents an opportunity to stabilize relations after the tenure of his predecessor, Shinzo Abe, who sent conflicting messages to Beijing, never sure whether to bring Japan closer to China or build alliances to contain it.
