Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao called Tuesday to congratulate Yoshihiko Noda, Japan's newly elected prime minister, telling him that strong ties between Japan and China were good for both the two countries and the rest of the world. Apparently left unsaid were concerns in China and other Asian nations about Noda's thoughts on Japan's wartime legacy.
Noda has said that he doesn't believe that the top-level Class A Japanese war criminals convicted by the Allies after the end of World War II are indeed war criminals under Japanese law. That stand, which he repeated at a news conference earlier this month, has sparked complaints in China and South Korea, which were occupied by Japan during the war. A spokesman for the South Korean Foreign Ministry hinted at the issue Tuesday, saying, "We expect to continue to forge mature and future-oriented relationships with the new Japanese government led by Prime Minister Noda as it looks squarely at its past," the Yonhap news agency reported.
Read Full Article »
