Japan said China apologized on Tuesday for the intrusion by one of its submarines into Japanese waters last week in a gesture that defuses a dispute and may open the way for a bilateral summit this week.
Japan had concluded that a nuclear-powered submarine that intruded into its waters off the Okinawa islands, 1,000 miles southwest of Tokyo, on Wednesday last week belonged to the Chinese navy and demanded an apology from Beijing.
The incident had further frayed Sino-Japanese ties, which have chilled markedly since Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi took office in 2001 and fulfilled his pledge to make annual visits to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, where war criminals are honored along with Japan’s war dead.
Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Dawei conveyed Beijing’s regret over the intrusion by the submarine, which Wu said was on routine maneuvers when it accidentally strayed into Japan’s waters, to Japanese ambassador Koreshige Anami on Tuesday morning, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said.
“We consider this to be an apology,” Hosoda told a news conference, adding that Japan would continue to urge China to take steps to prevent a recurrence.
China, however, stopped short of publicly acknowledging that it had apologized to Japan, which is viewed with deep resentment by many Chinese for its World War Two actions.
“Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Dawei has already informed the Japanese ambassador in China of the relevant matters,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue told reporters when asked about the incident.
Japan had mobilized its navy for the first time in five years after the submarine was spotted. The intrusion was brief and no warning shots were fired, but the mobilization was a rare display of a military response by Japan.
Summit offered
Despite the submarine intrusion, Koizumi said he wanted to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific leaders gathering in Chile at the weekend.
“It’s better for Japan and China to hold a summit anytime,” Kyodo news agency quoted Koizumi as telling reporters, referring to the possibility of a bilateral summit with Hu in Chile.
“It’s better to hold a summit especially when there are problems (between the two countries),” Koizumi said.
Japanese officials said Tokyo was trying to arrange a Japan-China summit, but that a meeting had not been finalized.
“We think it will of course be held, but it is also true that a specific date and time have not been set,” said Akira Chiba, assistant press secretary at Japan’s Foreign Ministry.
In Beijing, spokeswoman Zhang, asked about a possible summit, avoided a direct response.
“The Chinese side attaches great importance to the dialogue and contact between Chinese and Japanese leaders,” she said.
“China always pursues the principle of building amicable relations with our neighbors. It is important for peace and stability in the Pacific and the Chinese side will make more efforts to promote China-Japan relations.”
