Park's decision to visit China to be seen as snub by Japan
South Korean president's decision to break with tradition will be seen as snub by Tokyo's leaders
There has been no official comment from the Japanese government about the decision by Park Geun-hye, the new South Korean president, to make China her first diplomatic port of call in Asia.
But in doing so, Park is pointedly breaking with tradition set by four South Korean presidents since Seoul normalised diplomatic relations with China in 1992.
President Park has just returned from a visit to the US, in keeping with Washington's status as the South's key benefactor. Reports said she would visit China in coming weeks.
But Park's four predecessors - Kim Young-sam, Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun and Lee Myung-bak - met counterparts in Tokyo before travelling to China, underlining the importance of the three-way alliance with Japan and the US.
The months since President Park took office in February have been characterised by a fractious relationship with Tokyo.
Japan's interpretation of history has been one bone of contention, along with Tokyo's continued claim to islands that it marks on maps as Takeshima but are occupied by a unit of South Korean police who know the isolated islands as Dokdo.