Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will not attend September events in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Tokyo government's top spokesman - and Abe himself - said on Monday.[Special coverage]
The decision was described by Chinese analysts as "letting go a good opportunity" for boosting reconciliation on the historical issues as Tokyo tries to ease diplomatic headaches with Beijing and Seoul.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters the decision was made because of Abe's parliamentary schedule.
Abe is trying to push through controversial legislation giving the Japanese military the authority to fight overseas, and the debate on the security-related bills is heating up in the Diet, with opposition parties leading strong protests.
Yet Japan's Kyodo news agency said Tokyo may also have been concerned about the tone of the events marking the country's surrender in 1945.
Gao Hong, a senior researcher on Japan studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noted that the 70th anniversary is a perfect time for the Japanese leader to tackle issues of history, yet "Abe seems to have not taken the chance".
"If he had the courage to attend the commemorations on Sept 3 and demonstrate frankness, he would draw applause both from the people of Japan's Asian neighbors and from pacifist voices within his own country," Gao said.
Gao also observed that some political voices within Japan are claiming that the September events are flaring up "anti-Japanese sentiment", adding that Beijing has already reiterated that the events are not targeting any specific third party.
Feng Wei, a professor of Japan studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said Tokyo "is truly willing to boost its relationship with Beijing", yet a major turnaround of the thorny ties would "take quite a period of time" and only "be achieved slowly and gradually".
