Japan ex-PM Murayama visits Beijing

Former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, famous for a well-received apology for Japan's wartime atrocities, started a four-day visit to China on Monday, at a time when Tokyo is seeking a summit between top leaders of the two East Asian neighbors.

Murayama, invited by the China-Japan Friendship Association, was also joined by Koichi Kato, a former secretary-general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) who now heads the Japan-China Friendship Association, and Gen Nakatani, who served as defense minister in the first cabinet of Junichiro Koizumi.

Murayama is considered to be as friendly to China as Yukio Hatoyama, who offered a silent prayer at the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall two weeks ago. The trip also closely follows a visit by Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of the LDP's ruling partner the New Komeito party.

Nakatani held talks with Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga before his trip. Nakatani told reporters that he would discuss with the Chinese side "the necessity to handle the emergencies in security concerns."

"In contrast to Yamaguchi's visit, the three key figures in Murayama's delegation are all retired politicians and have very little by way of relations with the current administration. They are invited by the Chinese side and this could be seen as China's efforts to ease the tension and create an atmosphere for dialogue," said Lü Fuhai, an independent researcher of Japan's history.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, after being briefed by Yamaguchi, said on Saturday that he was "always open" for dialogue with top Chinese leaders, according to Kyodo News.

China's foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei on Monday said, "We hope the Japanese side will make joint efforts with China to appropriately control and resolve problems through practical action."

But an article carried by the Sankei Shimbun on Monday warned Murayama and Kato against any "atonement diplomacy" as China and Japan are locked in a stalemate over the Diaoyu Islands row. If Kato makes any "redundant" speech or action during this visit, he will become a real "betrayer," it said.