Japan-China summit mooted as top diplomats meet

TOKYO, Sep 23 (Reuters) Top diplomats from Japan and China began a meeting in Tokyo today as speculation simmered that the two countries' leaders may hold an ice-breaking summit after Japan's Shinzo Abe becomes prime minister.

Bilateral relations are at their worst in decades, with China refusing to hold a leaders' summit with outgoing Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi because of his visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, seen by Beijing as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

The talks between Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi and Chinese counterpart Dai Bingguo today and tomorrow will be the sixth round of a so-called strategic dialogue. The last round was held in Beijing in May.

Kyodo news agency quoted Japanese Foreign Ministry officials as saying the main aim of the talks would be to pave the way for a summit between Abe -- set to become prime minister on Tuesday -- and Chinese President Hu Jintao, possibly on the sidelines of November's gathering of Asia-Pacific leaders in Hanoi.

A ministry official declined to confirm the report, saying only that the talks would touch on a wide range of bilateral and regional issues.

Former Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura, a senior ruling party lawmaker who is close to Abe, told Reuters last week that preparations were under way for a summit and that officials from both nations had been meeting to discuss the issue.

Abe has defended Koizumi's visits to the Yasukuni shrine, which honours 14 wartime leaders convicted as war criminals along with Japan's millions of war dead. However, he has declined to say whether, as prime minister, he would pay his respects there.

Bilateral ties between Japan and its giant Asian neighbour have also been troubled by friction over the development of gas fields in disputed parts of the East China Sea.

Reuters DKS VP0745