Japan's Abe to head for N.Asia summits, seeks thaw

TOKYO, Oct 7 (Reuters) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left for summits with Chinese and South Korean leaders at which he will seek a thaw in ties chilled by the wartime past, and consult on North Korea's nuclear threat.

Abe, 52, who will be making his first overseas visit since taking office on September 26, meets Chinese President Hu Jintao and other leaders in Beijing tomorrow, and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun in Seoul the next day.

Beijing and Seoul refused summits with Abe's predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, because of his pilgrimages to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, seen by critics as glorifying Japan's past militarism.

''The change of government gives an opportunity for both sides to build a new relationship regardless of what has happened up to now,'' an aide to Abe told reporters in Beijing.

Abe, Japan's first premier born after World War Two, is a conservative who wants to restore Japan's sense of national pride, and has defended Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni.

Abe has also paid his respects there in the past, and declined to say whether he would do so again while in office.

Mending ties would make it easier for the three countries to address North Korea's threat to conduct a nuclear test, an issue certain to be high on the agenda at the two summits.

US officials have said the reclusive state may detonate a device as early as this weekend, with speculation centring on Sunday, the anniversary of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's appointment as head of the national defence commission in 1997.

REWARDS AND RISKS Abe has laid the groundwork for the summits by softening his public statements on history, though experts warn the diplomacy could backfire in Beijing and Seoul if he later visits Yasukuni.

No one expects the meetings to erase bitter memories of Japan's wartime aggression and colonisation, end mutual mistrust, or settle disputes over territory and energy rights.

But Abe is hoping his summitry will win plaudits from mainstream voters at home, and ease concerns in Washington and elsewhere about regional tensions.

''Relations are in such a poor state, and Abe wants to score a big diplomatic success to show the Japanese public his new cabinet's strength,'' said Shi Yinhong, an international relations expert at the People's University of China in Beijing.

Japanese business executives worried about economic fallout from chilly diplomatic ties have pressed Abe to improve relations with its neighbours.

China and South Korea are also keen for better relations given burgeoning trade and investment links.

In a sign of Beijing's eagerness for rapprochement, its leaders will be meeting Abe at the start of a key gathering of senior Communist Party officials.

Abe, Hu and Roh are expected to urge North Korea not to carry out a nuclear test, but behind the scenes they could well differ over how to persuade Pyongyang to hold back.

Japan and the United States prefer a hard line that would include tightening sanctions in the event of a test, while South Korea and China lean towards negotiation and incentives.

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