Chinese warship on goodwill visit to Japan
TOKYO (AFP) — A Chinese warship Wednesday called at a port in Japan for the first time since World War II as Beijing's rapidly expanding military tried to reassure Tokyo of its peaceful intentions.
As a military band on board played a march, the Chinese destroyer Shenzhen docked in central Tokyo, welcomed by Japanese troops and hundreds of Chinese residents waving the two countries' flags.
A handful of rightwing activists also drove toward the wharf to protest over the ship's visit but were stopped by police before they could come close, witnesses said.
The warship, carrying 340 sailors, will be docked in Tokyo for four days of goodwill activities. Senior officers will visit Japan's defence ministry and tour a military base.
"I was looking forward to this port call, which will turn a new page in Japan-China defence exchanges," Admiral Eiji Yoshikawa, Japan's naval chief of staff, told the welcoming ceremony.
"I believe this port call of the Shenzhen will strengthen the relations of trust and friendship between Japan and China," he said.
It is the first Chinese port call in more than 70 years. The last such visit took place in 1934 with a vessel from Chiang Kai-shek's Republic of China, according to Japan's defence ministry.
Relations between Japan and China remain strained by wartime memories. China cut off all high-level contact with Japan during the 2001-2006 premiership of Junichiro Koizumi due to his visits to a controversial shrine to war dead.
Military affairs are a particular source of tension. Japan has repeatedly joined the United States in voicing unease about China's military spending, which has been growing by double digits annually.
Rear Admiral Xiao Xinnian, the captain of the Shenzhen, said that China's military wanted to resolve all issues with Japan in a "peaceful atmosphere."
"There shouldn't be any concerns. In my personal opinion, China's efforts to modernise its military are very transparent," said Xiao, vice chief of staff of the South China Sea Fleet.
"China's military strategy is very much self-defensive," Xiao told reporters. "Whatever problems lie ahead of us, I think we can resolve them in a peaceful manner."
Despite frequent friction, the two countries are close trading partners and Japanese business leaders have pushed for closer ties
Relations began to improve last year when Koizumi was succeeded by Shinzo Abe, who travelled to Beijing within days of taking office. Abe also stayed away from the Yasukuni war shrine, which he strongly supported in the past.
Abe resigned in September and was replaced by Yasuo Fukuda, a longtime advocate of warmer relations with China and opponent of the Yasukuni shrine who is expected to visit in the coming months.
China's ambassador to Japan, Cui Tiankai, said that Japan was "an important neighbour" for Beijing.
"The port call will send out a message of hope to create a harmonious Asia and harmonious world," Cui said.
Akira Ishii, a professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, said the port call would have been unthinkable just a year and a half ago.
"Through this port call, China wants to eliminate a view of 'China as a threat' held by Japan," he said.
While the two countries' leaders are committed to improving ties, "military exchanges will stop again if someone visits the Yasukuni shrine," Ishii said.
Japan, while keeping one of the world's best-funded militaries, is officially pacifist and has relied on the US military umbrella since its defeat in World War II.
Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday voiced concern about France's support for lifting a European Union arms embargo on China, calling for consideration of the "military balance" in the region.
