Are Japan and China inching closer to each other to start a new era of political and diplomatic bonhomie? The inhumane Japanese atrocities on the Chinese during the Second World War had embittered the Chinese towards Japan. However, with time being the best healer, both the countries seemed to have buried the past. After a decade, a Chinese President will be visiting Japan. Despite of best efforts by the two countries there are some contentious issues waiting to be resolved.
The latest flare-up between the two countries occurred when Japan’s health minister announced on January this year that 10 people in the country had died from food poisoning after eating Chinese-made dumplings. Japanese investigators seized six packets of dumplings and discovered traces of methamidophos, a lethal pesticide that is banned in both Japan and China. However, Chinese investigators failed to detect any trace of the lethal pesticides in the Chinese manufacturing plant in China. With the origin of the contamination remaining a mystery, a new tension has flared up between China and Japan.
The visit of the former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which houses the remains of war criminals, had created fury in China. China on its part had sought to block Japan’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. With the current Chinese atrocities in Tibet being fresh in memory, it remains to be seen whether Japan rakes up the Tibet issue with Hu Jintao.
Source:Independent
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