Despite the fact that China surpassed the US to become Japan’s largest trading partner last year, the top leaders of the two countries have not visited each other’s capitals since 2001. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has insisted on paying an annual visit to the Yasukuni shrine, where Japan’s past aggressive wars are glorified, and where war criminals are among the buried, behavior that China’s government considers unacceptable.
伴随着日本与中国的政治关系日益恶劣，日本与台湾的关系却日趋密切。尽管中国已经在去年超越美国成为了日本最大的贸易伙伴，两国的高层领导人自2001年起就再也没有相互访问过彼国首都。日本首相小泉纯一郎坚持每年去参拜为日本昔日侵略战争歌功颂德、祭祀着战争罪犯的靖国神社，这正是中国政府难以接受的行为。