Japan will replace its ambassadors to China and South Korea as Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda seeks to manage territorial disputes with its Asian neighbors.
Career diplomat Shinichi Nishimiya will replace Uichiro Niwa as envoy to China, while Kouro Bessho will take over from Masatoshi Muto as ambassador to South Korea, the Foreign Ministry said. Vice Foreign Minister Kenichiro Sasae will replace Ichiro Fujisaki as ambassador to the U.S.
Niwa, the first private-sector appointee to become envoy to China, has been at the center of a territorial dispute over islands in the East China Sea. His car was blocked and the Japanese flag attached to it ripped off by assailants last month, days after protests erupted in China following reciprocal visits to the islands by activists on both sides.
Noda’s cabinet today approved a plan for the national government to buy the islands, called Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese, from a private owner for 2.05 billion yen ($26.2 million). China has denounced the move, with the state- run Xinhua News Agency quoting Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday reiterating ownership of the islands and saying the country won’t yield on sovereignty issues.
The purchase comes after Tokyo governor and China critic Shintaro Ishihara in April announced his own plan to buy the islands. Niwa was cautioned by the government after he said Ishihara’s plan would result in an “extremely grave crisis” in bilateral ties.
A separate spat with South Korea over islands known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in Korean has also escalated since South Korean President Lee Myung Bak visited them in August. South Korea’s head trade negotiator said last month it would be difficult to resume talks with Japan over a free trade agreement until the issue is resolved.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry will send the head of its Asian and Oceanian affairs bureau to China today to exchange views on the bilateral dispute, Kyodo News said, without citing anyone.
To contact the reporter on this story: Isabel Reynolds in Tokyo at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Peter Hirschberg at [email protected]
Career diplomat Shinichi Nishimiya will replace Uichiro Niwa as envoy to China, while Kouro Bessho will take over from Masatoshi Muto as ambassador to South Korea, the Foreign Ministry said. Vice Foreign Minister Kenichiro Sasae will replace Ichiro Fujisaki as ambassador to the U.S.
Niwa, the first private-sector appointee to become envoy to China, has been at the center of a territorial dispute over islands in the East China Sea. His car was blocked and the Japanese flag attached to it ripped off by assailants last month, days after protests erupted in China following reciprocal visits to the islands by activists on both sides.
Noda’s cabinet today approved a plan for the national government to buy the islands, called Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese, from a private owner for 2.05 billion yen ($26.2 million). China has denounced the move, with the state- run Xinhua News Agency quoting Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday reiterating ownership of the islands and saying the country won’t yield on sovereignty issues.
The purchase comes after Tokyo governor and China critic Shintaro Ishihara in April announced his own plan to buy the islands. Niwa was cautioned by the government after he said Ishihara’s plan would result in an “extremely grave crisis” in bilateral ties.
A separate spat with South Korea over islands known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in Korean has also escalated since South Korean President Lee Myung Bak visited them in August. South Korea’s head trade negotiator said last month it would be difficult to resume talks with Japan over a free trade agreement until the issue is resolved.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry will send the head of its Asian and Oceanian affairs bureau to China today to exchange views on the bilateral dispute, Kyodo News said, without citing anyone.
To contact the reporter on this story: Isabel Reynolds in Tokyo at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Peter Hirschberg at [email protected]