Chinese premier may visit quake-hit area in Japan+

BEIJING, April 29 Kyodo -
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao may visit one of the areas in Japan hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami when he travels to Tokyo in late May for a trilateral summit of Japan, China and South Korea, sources familiar with Japan-China relations said Friday.
The Chinese premier may visit Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, one of the areas hit hard by the quake and tsunami, or visit a shelter in Tochigi Prefecture where evacuees from areas hit by the disaster live, the sources said.
Shortly after the quake, China sent a rescue team to Ofunato. It also provided Japan with assistant goods, such as gasoline and kerosene, and donations for quake and tsunami victims.
If he cannot visit such a place due to security reasons or his tight schedule, he may deliver a speech in Tokyo for the people affected by the disaster, the sources said.
Wen will visit Japan to attend the May 21-22 summit of Japan, China and South Korea.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard last Saturday visited a Japanese coastal town devastated by the quake and tsunami, becoming the first foreign leader to travel to the disaster-hit area.
If realized, a visit by Wen to a quake-hit area would help mend the ties between Japan and China which have deteriorated since last September's collisions of a Chinese fishing boat with Japanese patrol ships in waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. The islands are known as Diaoyu in China.
==Kyodo