Spring in winter
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Sino-Japanese Treaty of Peace and Friendship, and all signs are that both countries are determined to use this symbolic date to consolidate the bilateral relationship and to take it to a new high. The symbolism is particularly strong: that treaty was signed when Takeo Fukuda, father of the current prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda, was prime minister.
Yasuo Fukuda's four-day visit to China last month helped improve relations to such an extent that both he and Premier Wen Jiabao said that 'spring' has returned to the relationship even though it is the dead of winter.
In the 2,000-year history of Sino-Japanese relations, one nation was always strong while the other was weak. This is the first time when China and Japan are both strong, which makes it much more difficult to create a sense of trust and friendship rather than one of suspicion and rivalry.
However, Mr Fukuda's attitude is one of welcoming China's rise rather than fearing it. His vision is one of Japan and China working together to overcome common problems, such as battling terrorism and coping with climate change and other environmental problems.
Mr Fukuda is right in describing 2008 as 'a very rare opportunity' for the development of bilateral ties. The fact that the son of the man who signed the friendship treaty is now Japan's prime minister creates an opportunity for both sides to bolster the relationship, especially as the younger Mr Fukuda is much like his father and very different from his immediate predecessors.
Even though Mr Fukuda kept most cabinet members who he inherited from his predecessor, Shinzo Abe, there is already a notable change in the handling of historical issues.
The Japanese government has agreed to reinstate history textbook references about the Imperial Japanese Army driving civilians into committing mass suicide in Okinawa in 1945. The previous government had ordered that all references to the involvement of the Imperial Japanese Army in the suicides be deleted.
Instead of trying to varnish Japan's past, Mr Fukuda promised in Beijing to 'look squarely' at Japan's wartime militarism, because 'we can prevent mistakes in the future only if we properly look at the past, and have the courage and wisdom to repent what we must repent'.
Mr Fukuda's visit carried some risks, as there were some in the Japanese camp who did not want him to travel to Beijing until there was an agreement on the biggest outstanding problem between the two: the dispute over gas deposits in the East China Sea, where Beijing and Tokyo have overlapping claims. The two countries had wanted to resolve the issue by the second half of 2007, but an agreement remains elusive.
Mr Fukuda's decision to visit Qufu , the hometown of Confucius, was an inspired attempt to demonstrate to the people of both countries that they share common philosophical and cultural roots that bind them in a special relationship.
While the visit went well, the relationship is still delicate and must be nurtured. The visit to China was risky: Mr Fukuda is not in a strong position domestically, and he may have to call an election in a few months, the outcome of which is uncertain.
The two countries have decided to raise the East China Sea talks to vice-ministerial level before President Hu Jintao visits Japan in April, when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.
Another issue, as Mr Fukuda put it, is the need to 'nip mutual distrust in the bud while fostering confidence building through enhanced transparency'. A Chinese warship recently visited Japan, and a Japanese naval vessel will reciprocate this year. What is needed is great Chinese transparency in military matters.
If these issues are resolved, the relationship will go from strength to strength. But if, say, an agreement on joint development continues to be elusive, then no matter how good the atmosphere, Sino-Japanese relations will not bloom, even if the cherry blossoms do.
Frank Ching is a Hong Kong-based writer and commentator
