U.S. Worried over Japan's Strained Ties with China, S. Korea

Washington, April 25 (Jiji Press)--The United States is increasingly concerned about the situation in East Asia, where Japan's relations with China and South Korea are deteriorating further due to a controversy over views of history and recent visits to war-related Yasukuni Shrine by Japanese cabinet ministers and other lawmakers. The administration of President Barack Obama is hoping all countries concerned will act calmly to stabilize the situation. In an editorial for its Wednesday's edition, The New York Times pointed to a group visit Tuesday by nearly 170 Japanese lawmakers to the Shinto shrine in Tokyo, where Class-A World War II criminals are enshrined among the war dead. "It seems especially foolhardy for Japan to inflame hostilities with China and South Korea when all countries need to be working cooperatively to resolve the problems with North Korea and its nuclear program," according to the editorial headlined "Japan's Unnecessary Nationalism." An article in The Wall Street Journal the same day pointed out that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is shifting his focus from economic policy to history issues. Before the group of lawmakers, some Japanese ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, visited the shrine to pay respect to the war dead. Abe himself drew anger from Japan's neighbors by saying at a recent parliamentary meeting that the definition of invasion differs depending on from which side the situation is looked at. On Tuesday, U.S. Department of State spokesman Patrick Ventrell stressed, "We do urge all parties to avoid actions that could raise tensions or result in miscalculations that would undermine peace, security and economic growth in that vital part of the world." Stability in East Asia is important both economically and strategically for the Obama administration, which hopes to take advantage of Asian growth to achieve the recovery of the world's biggest economy. Stable relations among Japan, China and South Korea are believed to be the key to regional stability. When the Abe government was launched late last December, many U.S. officials were concerned about his nationalistic stance. Later, he has been careful to avoid tensions with Japan's neighbors while pushing forward with his economic policy, dubbed Abenomics, which features aggressive monetary easing and flexible fiscal spending. However, the initial U.S. concerns about the Abe government are proving to be warranted although cooperation is necessary at a time when the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs is increasing. At a meeting with Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato in Tokyo on Wednesday, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns stressed the importance of collaboration among Washington, Tokyo and Seoul in dealing with the North Korean problem, according to Japanese officials. At the same time, Burns questioned the Abe administration's view on the recent visits to Yasukuni Shrine by Aso and two other ministers--Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Yoshitaka Shindo and National Public Safety Commission Chairman Keiji Furuya. END