 Japan's trade with China increases but government continues to give weight to U.S. ties China became Japan's largest trade partner in 2004, representing 20.1 percent of Japan's trade, overtaking the United States (18.6 percent), according to the FY 2004 trade statistics published on January 26 by the Ministry of Finance. The statistics show that Japan is strengthening its economic relations with Asian nations, including China. Akahata on January 27 reported that although Japan's constitutional pledge that it will not go to war has been a foundation of economic relations increasing between Asia and Japan after WWII, the Koizumi government continues to place importance on Japan's political and military relations with the United States, and is trying to adversely revise the war-renouncing Constitution as advised by the U.S. Japanese business circles' call for Article 9 of the Constitution to be revised to enable Japan to use force abroad with the United States is also a factor in deepening contradictions with Asian countries, Akahata stated. Kitashiro Kakutaro, chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, admitted, "Compared to the favorable economic relations with China, there are still many problems that should be solved in the fields of politics, diplomacy, and culture. It is necessary to make efforts to remove Asian countries' misunderstandings and distrust of Japan." (end) |