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FM TOKYO
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 791
OF 060751Z NOVEMBER 92
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
INFO ROUTINE CANBERRA, ASEAN POSTS, WELLINGTON, SEOUL
PEKING TELS NOS 1511 AND 1557: VISIT OF JAPANESE EMPEROR TO CHINA
SUMMARY
1.
VISIT SEEN HERE AS SUCCESSFUL AND IMPROVING THE ATMOSPHERE FOR CONTINUED BILATERAL DISCUSSION OF THE SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES (INCLUDING HONG KONG).
DETAIL
2.
THE VISIT WAS WIDELY REPORTED IN THE MEDIA HERE. EVEN ALLOWING FOR THE DEFERENTIAL TONE NORMALLY ADOPTED TOWARDS THE IMPERIAL FAMILY, THE REPORTING WAS GENUINELY POSITIVE. INTERPRETATIONS VARIED OF THE EMPEROR'S COMMENTS ON THE WAR, BUT MOST COMMENTATORS SHARED PEKING'S VIEW THAT HE CAME AS CLOSE TO AN APOLOGY AS COULD BE EXPECTED. THE RIGHT WING WERE RELATIVELY SUBDUED: WHATEVER THEIR PRIVATE VIEWS, THEY HAVE NO WISH TO BE SEEN CRITICISING THE EMPEROR.
3. THE MEDIA DID HOWEVER COMMENT THAT BY ITS NATURE THE IMPERIAL VISIT COULD NOT RESOLVE ALL THE VARIED ISSUES OF SUBSTANCE BETWEEN
THE TWO COUNTRIES. THESE WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE SUBJECT OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL EXCHANGES. THE MFA PARLIAMENTARY VICE-MINISTER LAST WEEK TOLD LADY CHALKER THAT IN HIS VIEW THE VISIT HAD STRENGTHENED JAPAN'S HAND IN DEALING WITH THE CHINESE, AND IF WE WISHED THEM TO MAKE POINTS ON HONG KONG TO CHINA IN THIS CONTEXT, THEY WOULD BE HAPPY TO DO SO.
4.
AT AN EC BRIEFING ON 6 NOVEMBER TARUI, DIRECTOR OF CHINA DIVISION, SAID THAT THE CHINESE HAD NEVER REQUESTED AN APOLOGY. BELIEVED THAT THEY HAD BEEN IMPRESSED BY THE EMPEROR'S WORDS AND SAW THEM AS THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE WITHIN THE CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK. THE CHINESE HAD SHARED JAPAN'S VIEW ON THE HISTORIC IMPORTANCE OF THE VISIT, AND BOTH SIDES HAD BEEN VERY SATISFIED. IT HAD HELPED TO PUT THE HISTORICAL PROBLEMS BEHIND US'' CONTRIBUTED TO STABILITY IN ASIA, SPREAD KNOWLEDGE IN CHINA ABOUT
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