Every time the public feels offended by provocative Japanese politicians, some of us take great pains to convince the population that right-wingers do not represent the views of Japan as a whole. 

We should not let a tiny little stain mar the bigger picture of good neighborly ties between the two countries.

But we cannot afford to ignore the ice-cold reality that such stains are growing fast in both size and number, threatening a substantial change in the make-up of that bigger picture.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has shown us he does not mind offending victims of his country's World War II atrocities by worshipping at the Yasukuni Shrine, where war criminals are buried along with other Japan war dead.

And he has never lacked sympathizers.

His Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura was only the latest to defend the shrine visits.

"As soon as he (Koizumi) visits the Yasukuni Shrine, China says Japan is turning to militarism and we are not peaceful. This is absurd," Machimura was quoted as saying to his colleagues on Monday at a conference on aid programs.

As the foremost victim of a militarist Japan, it is only natural for China to be sensitive about Japan's attitude towards history.

Furthermore, we find it absurd that national leaders of a so-called peace-minded Japan continue to refuse to squarely face the country's past sins.

Like a number of other high-ranking Japanese officials, Machimura seems to share the belief that sweeping the dirt under the carpet is the only action it needs to take.

So he dismissed outside concerns over his government's endorsement of a textbook distorting World War II history as a product of "prejudice."

Following this logic, Japan is itself a victim of foreign demonization.

Even more outrageous, the Japanese Foreign Minister said China should not try to deny Koizumi his pilgrimage to the Yasukuni Shrine because the country used to be a major recipient of Japanese official development assistance (ODA).

ODA has always been received in this country with appreciation.

But the Yasukuni issue is another matter entirely.

Did he mean ODA was meant to buy our silence on, or tolerance of, his country's refusal of remorse for war crimes?

Instead of seeking to avenge its past suffering, as it was interpreted narrow-mindedly in Japan, China's request that Japan face its history has broader significance.

The ethical rebirth of Japan would prove a blessing to China, Japan, and the world as a whole.

But that looks unlikely while Koizumi remains in office.

His foreign minister on Monday criticized some of his colleagues in the Liberal Democratic Party for being too soft on China.

"The way such people flatter China is leading Japan-China ties in a wrong direction," he was quoted as saying.

We do not need to be flattered. Still, we wonder what the "right direction" was that he had in mind.

It is sad to see those "friendly to China," as labeled by Machimura, or those who want to prevent bilateral ties from floundering, being silenced and sidelined in present-day Japan.

The situation is in turn putting increasing strain on the attempts to rescue the struggling relationship.

The bigger picture of China-Japan ties cannot get better until we see a substantial change in orientation in Japan.

(China Daily June 8, 2005)