Japan's huge military expense questioned
(China Daily/chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2005-12-14 06:20

He is also reportedly expected to propose a specific plan to extend Japan's technological co-operation in the fields of energy-saving and new energy sources to help China resolve increasingly serious air pollution and other environmental problems.

Maehara also made a speech titled "Sino-Japanese relations are the basis for peace and stability of Asia" at a forum of the China Foreign Affairs University on Monday and has criticized his prime minister's visit to the war time Yasukuni Shrine, which has emerged as the biggest source of tension between Japan and its Asian neighbours.

In another development, Premier Wen Jiabao on Monday said sour ties between China and Japan still lingered because the Japanese leaders failed to correctly face up to the historical issue by repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Wen made the remarks in Kuala Lumpur when attending the first East Asia Summit, saying the key to the issue is that Japanese leaders must go with the trend of the world, take history as a mirror, face up to the future and take practical actions so as not to disturb and undermine the Sino-Japanese relationship.