Kawamura, Cui agree to enhance ties, cooperate on abduction issue

TOKYO, Oct. 1 Kyodo - Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura and Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cui Tiankai agreed Wednesday to enhance the bilateral ties and cooperate in resolving the issue of North Korea's past abduction of Japanese nationals, Kawamura said.

In their first meeting since the launch of Prime Minister Taro Aso's Cabinet
last week, Kawamura also called for China to make efforts to solve food
poisoning cases involving Chinese-made dumplings, while the ambassador was
quoted as saying that China is ''fully paying attention to the issue of food
safety.''
But there was no explanation about the progress of investigations over the food
poisoning cases, Kawamura said. The cases occurred both in Japan and China.
''I said that we are placing importance on the relationship between Japan and
China...and that I would like to further heighten the mutually beneficial
strategic relationship,'' Kawamura told a regular press conference.
''I told him that this is Aso's Cabinet's policy,'' he added, apparently aware
of the concerns in China that ties between Japan and China may become strained
under Aso, who is known for his hawkish stance compared to his moderate and
dovish predecessor Yasuo Fukuda.
On the abduction issue, Cui said China acknowledges that Japan is attaching
importance to it and offered cooperation, according to Kawamura.
Kawamura concurrently serves as minister in charge of the abduction issue.
Japan and North Korea are divided over the number of people abducted by North
Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s, and over what happened to some of them.
The dispute has prevented the two countries from making progress on the
normalization of diplomatic relations.
Later on Wednesday, Cui also held talks with Foreign Minister Hirofumi
Nakasone, in which the two reaffirmed cooperation to realize a trilateral
summit with South Korea in Japan which has been postponed from September due to
Fukuda's sudden resignation, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said.
Cui also extended Beijing's invitation for Aso to attend events commemorating
the 30th anniversary of the Sino-Japan peace and friendship treaty when the
Asia-Europe Meeting is held at the Chinese capital later this month.
Nakasone responded by saying that Aso looks forward to the visit, although it
would depend on domestic political circumstances, the official said.