Shrine row prompts China to cancel Japanese visit
China today cancelled a planned visit by Japan’s foreign minister, after Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi infuriated Beijing by visiting a contentious war shrine.
Japan’s Foreign Minister, Nobutaka Machimura, was to arrive in Beijing on Sunday.
“Given the present situation, the visit is not timely,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan.
“We are not in a position to receive this visit,” he said.
Beijing has repeatedly called on Tokyo to do more to atone for its Second World War invasion of China and reacted with fury to Koizumi’s visit yesterday to the Yasukuni Shrine, where Japan’s war dead are worshipped – including executed war criminals.
Machimura had pledged to use the now-cancelled visit to soothe China’s anger.
Beijing formally protested against Koizumi’s shrine visit, saying it “severely damaged China-Japan relations”, a statement from the foreign ministry said.
“The Chinese government and Chinese people express strong anger,” it said.
China and Japan had also cancelled a diplomatic meeting yesterday that was to focus on disarming North Korea.
