Senior Japanese official may visit capital soon

A probable visit by one of Japan's top national security officials to China in mid-July may be grounds for cautious optimism at a sensitive time ahead of a key anniversary, analysts said.

The visit, if realized, is of special significance as it comes just a few weeks before China's September military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's planned statement about the war.

Shotaro Yachi, the head of Japan's National Security Secretariat and a key foreign policy adviser to Abe, is considering a visit to China to meet with State Councilor Yang Jiechi, Japanese media outlets reported late last month.

If the visit takes place, discussions would focus on Abe's planned war anniversary statement and the next China-Japan summit, according to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. Kyodo News said Yachi would likely detail the official preparations being made for Abe's statement regarding the anniversary.

Abe's statement will be closely scrutinized by Japan's neighbors as he is widely believed to be inclined to water down the Murayama statement of 1995, the closest Japan came to an official apology for its wartime aggression and atrocities.

Lyu Yaodong, an expert on Japanese policies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the purpose of the visit should be analyzed, as it is questionable whether the Japanese have fully implemented November's four-point agreement on bilateral ties.

Yang and Yachi reached that agreement in Beijing, with consensus on handling contentious historical and territorial issues.

It marked a breakthrough in chilly relations and came shortly before the first summit between President Xi Jinping and Abe.

A further thaw in the relationship cannot be achieved overnight, but what the Japanese need to do is to actually implement the agreement instead of making empty gestures, Lyu said.

Abe drew fire from Chinese media as he failed to issue a new apology for Japan's wartime conduct during his visit to the United States in April.

He also reportedly told high-ranking media figures recently that Japan's "security policy bills are targeted at China in the South China Sea".

Wang Xinsheng, a professor of Japanese studies at Peking University, said the reported visit by Yachi may indicate an attempt by Tokyo to set the publicity agenda about the relationship during a delicate period.

Both countries need and want to improve ties, especially the Japanese government, which has encountered dwindling support at home, he said.

Japan's Diet, or parliament, voted in late June to extend its current session by more than three months, as Abe faces strong opposition over plans to implement a historic defense policy shift and extend the military's role in the officially pacifist nation.