After a few months during which Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi ostensibly sought to improve his country’s relations with China, his fifth visit to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine has again raised tempers. China and South Korea both cancelled meetings of their foreign ministers with their Japanese counterpart.
日本似乎决意要在亚洲实行自我封闭。日本首相小泉纯一郎改善对华关系的表面文章做了不过几个月，他对备受争议的靖国神社的第五次参拜就再次点燃了怒火。中国和韩国取消了各自外长与日本外相的会晤。于是，在亚洲这个没有合作性国际组织、而仅靠信任来维系相互关系的世界，日本再一次丧失了重新建立信任的良机。