Koizumi blames China for violence | 日本のニュースを英語で読むならジャパンタイムズウィークリー


	UPDATE: Saturday, June 12, 2010 The Japan Times Weekly 2005年4月16日号（バックナンバー）

News

Affiliated sites

Koizumi blames China for violence

Junichiro Koizumi

China should be blamed for failing to protect Japanese nationals from attack, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said April 11, expressing his strong disapproval of remarks made by Chinese officials who claimed Beijing is not responsible for recent damage caused by anti-Japanese demonstrators.

"China is responsible for the safety of Japanese nationals in China," Koizumi said.

Qin Gang

Koizumi added that China should "be aware of" its responsibilities and do its utmost to prevent further violence.

He was referring to a statement released April 10 by Qin Gang, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, saying "the responsibility for the current state of affairs between Japan and China does not rest with China," and implying Japan is to blame for not properly atoning for its militaristic past.

Thousands of people took part in protests April 9 and 10 in Beijing and other major cities, pelting the Japanese Embassy with bottles and cans, verbally abusing workers at a Japanese restaurant and urging a boycott of Japanese goods. In Shanghai, two Japanese students were beaten at a restaurant.

Main Page　｜　Japan Times Online　｜　Subscribe　｜　link policy　｜　privacy policy