Nuke remark sours Sino-Japan ties

Beijing's state media have launched an attack on Tokyo's supposed plans to expand its military capability

HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- Sino-Japanese ties are set for more hiccups after Beijing's state media mounted an unusually ferocious attack on Tokyo's alleged re-militarization.

Several influential Chinese media have zeroed in on Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda's recent statements about the possibility of changing the constitution to revise the "three non-nuclear principles."

Fukuda also indicated there were circumstances that might justify Japan developing "small types of atom bombs."

Although Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi later denied there were plans to change the three principles of not possessing, not building and not importing nuclear weapons, Fukuda's statements received widespread coverage in China.

While the Chinese Foreign Ministry used fairly standard expressions to show disapproval of Japanese moves to re-arm or to develop nuclear weapons, commentaries in the official press have used much stronger language.

Tuesday's edition of the China Defense Newspaper ran an article entitled "Beware: Japan has set its nuclear chariot in motion."

Author of the piece, Hu Xuebing, said Tokyo was taking the anti-terrorism campaign as pretext to join the "nuclear club."

Hu also argued that the U.S. had encouraged right-wing politicians in Japan in their lobbying for remilitarization.

Similarly, commentator Zhao Gangzhen wrote in Tuesday's edition of the Liberation Army Daily that under the influence of militarist and right-wing sentiments, "Japan's wish to become a strong military power, and even nuclear power, has become increasingly intense."

Developing weapons

Analysts suspect Beijing is worried that Japan has joined the U.S. in an 'anti-China containment policy'

Other media have focused attention on new weapons the Japanese army is allegedly developing.

For example, the mass circulation World Times reported that Tokyo was manufacturing four "quasi aircraft carriers" despite the Japanese constitution's prohibition of building aircraft carriers.

World Times asserted that Tokyo's goal was to have a navy that was second only to that of the U.S.

And the People's Daily ran an analytical piece on Monday on the "threat" that an increasingly active Japanese navy was posing to Southeast Asian countries.

Recent rows in Sino-Japanese ties, including Koizumi's visit to the Yasukuni shrine and the incident over North Korean refugees who sought refuge in the Japanese consulate in Shenyang, had overshadowed plans to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral ties.

Diplomatic analysts said the stern media commentaries reflected Beijing's fear that Japan had joined the U.S. in an "anti-China containment policy."

The analysts said another reason for the ill will was intense competition between China and Japan to forge trade and other ties with ASEAN countries.