Japan should stick to ‘four political documents’: expert

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Beijing on Sunday to take part in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting, his first visit to China since resuming office two years ago.

Leaders from 21 APEC member states commence a two-day summit in the northern suburbs of Beijing on Monday.

Expectation for a thaw in Sino-Japanese relations rose after a four-point agreement, aiming to ease bilateral tension, was reached by China and Japan on Friday when State Councilor Yang Jiechi met National Security Advisor of Japan Shotaro Yachi, a special envoy sent by Abe, China's foreign ministry said.

The agreement is widely expected to pave the way for a meeting between Xi and Abe on the sidelines of the APEC leaders meeting on Monday, the first direct meeting since Abe resumed power two years ago, the Japan Times reported.

However, analysts are concerned that the agreement might be interpreted differently by the two sides and also failed to include a guarantee from Abe that he no longer visits the controversial Yasukuni Shrine.

The agreement, particularly Japan's acknowledgement of a "different position" over the Diaoyu Islands, indicates that Japan is indirectly admitting that there is an issue of sovereignty over the islands, Yang Bojiang, director of Japanese studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times.

Tokyo has long denied that any territorial dispute exists in the East China Sea.

Abe told reporters at Tokyo's Haneda airport before his departure from Japan Sunday that he wants to improve bilateral relations with China, AFP reported.

"For a summit [with Xi], the final arrangements still need to be made. But if it is to take place, I would like to give my message that Japan and China - responsible for the international community's peace and stability - [should] develop their bilateral ties ... as well as starting a maritime communication mechanism to avoid accidental collisions," Abe said.

Separately, to help improve bilateral ties, Japan's Foreign Ministry said Japan will relax the screening for visa applications from individual Chinese tourists.

"All these efforts demonstrate that Japan wishes to restore normal diplomatic relations with China ... But I'm afraid the agreement will be interpreted differently by the two sides," Yang noted, citing Japan's stress on the mutually beneficial Sino-Japanese strategic relationship instead of the "four political documents."

The "four political documents" refers to four agreements signed between the two countries in 1972, 1978, 1998 and 2008 that set the legal and political basis for Sino-Japanese cooperation.

"Abe may accentuate the strategic relationship alone by deliberately evading the four political documents. In the past many conflicts arose from Japan ignoring these documents," Yang said.

Sino-Japanese diplomatic ties have been frozen over the last two years following a number of incidents, including the "nationalization" of the Diaoyu Islands and a succession of visits to the Yasukuni Shrine by Abe and other top politicians.

While Friday's agreement said it would "address history straight-on," Abe has refused to accept the request that he no longer visit Yasukuni, calling his visits and the decisions behind them an entirely private matter, the Japan Times reported.

It is this inconsistency that could have stymied Abe's chances of holding direct talks with Xi during APEC, said Yang.

Washington would be relieved to see a thaw in Sino-Japan relations following Friday's agreement.

"We would welcome the statement between China and Japan that outlines agreed steps to improve relations," State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said at a daily news briefing.

Agencies contributed to this story