China ship's Japan call won't spell smooth sailing

By Linda Sieg

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Chinese warship's visit to Japan on Wednesday -- the first such port call since World War Two -- will be a striking symbol of a thaw in Sino-Japanese ties, but few expect smooth sailing in relations between the Asian rivals.

Tokyo and Beijing first agreed to reciprocal warship visits seven years ago, but China cancelled a planned port call in 2002 after then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Yasukuni Shrine, seen in China as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

Bilateral ties, long plagued by bitter Chinese memories of Japan's wartime invasion and partial occupation, grew frigid during Koizumi's five-year term but began to thaw after his successor Shinzo Abe's ice-breaking visit to Beijing last year.

"After the relationship became so poor under Koizumi, it's very important to show that we now have a rational relationship. It's an important public gesture," said Phil Deans, a professor at Temple University in Tokyo, referring to the warship's visit.

"It shows they are talking to each other in a grownup way again after many years of shouting at each other over the wall."

Japanese Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday lauded the coming port call by Chinese missile destroyer "Shenzhen".

But in a sign of simmering concerns about China's drive to modernize its military, Ishiba told a news conference: "We should always watch closely how it functions in China's vast territory, which shares borders with 14 countries," Kyodo news agency said.

Japan is anxious over China's military buildup despite Beijing's assurances its armed forces are only for self-defence.

China said in March it would boost defence spending by 17.8 percent to about $45 billion this year, but a Pentagon report warned that Beijing's total military-related spending could be more than double that.

China's navy is rapidly modernizing and transforming from a coastal force into a blue-water naval power with more than 20 new amphibious assault ships and nuclear-powered attack submarines.

MUTUAL MISTRUST

China is equally wary of Tokyo's intentions as Japan pushes the limits of its post-World War Two pacifist constitution in search of a bolder global and regional security role.

"Since the end of the Cold War, and especially in recent years, Japan, hungry for international recognition and matching status, has been chasing after the goal of becoming a political and military major power in the name of being a 'normal nation' again," wrote Rear Admiral Yang Yi, an expert with China's University of National Defence, in the China Daily on Tuesday.

"Right now, China and Japan are looking at a critical window of opportunity for developing their bilateral ties," Yang said, adding the two countries should spare no effort to bolster cooperation in maritime security and reduce mutual suspicion.

Incumbent Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who took over in September after Abe abruptly resigned and who stresses the need for closer ties with Japan's Asian neighbors while keeping Tokyo's security alliance with Washington tight, will likely seek to maintain the momentum in improving ties.