Abe, S Korea's Roh agree to meet soon: Japan

TOKYO, Sep 28: New Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun agreed today to meet at an early date to improve strained ties, a Japanese government spokesman said.

But some analysts say the two Asian neighbours will not be able to restart their leaders' shuttle diplomacy unless Abe clearly pledges not to visit a Tokyo war shrine seen by Seoul as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

Abe and Roh's agreement came in a 15-minute telephone conversation between the two, Hiroshige Seko, Abe's special adviser in charge of public relations, told a news conference.

''I would like to thoroughly talk with the president about developing relations between Japan and South Korea in Northeast Asia and the world,'' Abe told Roh, according to Seko. ''I hope to meet you at an early date.'' ''I quite agree,'' Seko quoted Roh as telling Abe.

South Korea had shunned summits with Abe's predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi -- who stepped down this week -- over his pilgrimages to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honours Japanese wartime leaders convicted as war criminals along with war dead.

Seoul's wording on the agreement suggested Roh might be in less of a hurry than Abe to meet.

''The leaders of the two countries would meet at an appropriate time and exchange views on promoting South Korea-Japan ties, and related matters would be discussed through diplomatic channels,'' South Korea's presidential Blue House said in a statement.

''Roh stressed that confidence and respect between South Korea and Japan are of the utmost importance to the stable development of the two countries' ties, and said he anticipated ties would develop and regional peace and cooperation would strengthen on the occasion of Prime Minister Abe's inauguration,'' it said.

Japan's top government spokesman, Yasuhisa Shiozaki, acknowledged that it was not easy for Japan and South Korea to resume their leaders' shuttle diplomacy anytime soon.

''Considering the current relations between Japan and South Korea, it is not as easy to do shuttle diplomacy as you might think,'' he told reporters.

WAR SHRINE HAUNTS TIES South Korea and China had objected strongly to Koizumi's annual visits to Yasukuni.

Visits by Japanese leaders to the shrine stir bitter memories in China of Japan's 1931-1945 invasion and occupation of large parts of the country, while resentment still lingers in South Korea over Japan's often-brutal domination of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945.

''Unless Prime Minister Abe makes it clear that he will not visit Yasukuni, there will be no exchanges of visits for summit meetings,'' said Yasuhiko Yoshida, professor of international politics at the Osaka University of Economics and Law.

Abe backed Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni, but he has declined to say whether he would visit the shrine as prime minister.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso said yesterday that Tokyo wants to hold a leaders' meeting with China in October, and a visit to Beijing by Abe was one option.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said today Beijing was willing to work with Tokyo to improve bilateral ties.

''As for a summit meeting between the two leaders, our stance has been consistent and clear,'' Qin told reporters in Beijing, without elaborating.

Yoshida said the summits depended on Abe's taking a clear stand on Yasukuni.

''As long as Abe keeps his stance on Yasukuni vague, he won't be able to exchange visits with the South Korean and Chinese leaders,'' Yoshida said. ''In other words, Japan's relations with South Korea and China will not improve easily.'' He said Abe might meet with Roh and Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of a November Asian Pacific leaders' gathering in Hanoi.

''But such meetings are different from real summit meetings based on shuttle diplomacy.''

REUTERS