Rational policy needed from Abe government on China-Japan ties (2)

Meanwhile, calls for a pragmatic approach to the settlement of territorial spats, which also come from Japan, bring new hope for the neighbors to rebuild confidence.

At a meeting in Beijing on Monday, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying and former Japanese Education Minister Kenji Kosaka agreed that the two countries should shift their focus back to development of the strategic relationship of mutual benefit.

The talks, expected to pave the way for a possible visit to China by Abe's special envoy Masahiko Komura, marked the first time a Japanese ruling party lawmaker met with a senior Chinese official since the launch of the Abe government.

Yohei Kono, a retired Japanese liberal politician and three-time foreign minister, criticized former premier Yoshihiko Noda for the island purchase, stressing that he is "not pessimistic" about how Chinese-Japanese relations might proceed under Abe's government.

To win China's trust, he said, one must not deal with Japan-China relations hastily because shortsighted projections and tough words would only give rise to a "negative spiral."

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the China-Japan normalization, Abe, who visited China in a 2006 "ice-breaking" trip during his first term, should review his China policy and again break the ice for the coldest winter of China-Japan ties in 40 years.