Japan's newly appointed Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto (R) poses with Prime Minister Naoto Kan during a photo session at the latters' official residence in Tokyo March 9, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

Matsumoto will continue policies of disgraced predecessor: Experts

BEIJING - Japan on Wednesday officially appointed a junior Cabinet minister, Takeaki Matsumoto, as foreign minister to replace Seiji Maehara who resigned last week because of a political donation scandal.

Experts say the appointment will help secure continuity in Tokyo's foreign policy at a time when Japan is encountering diplomatic difficulties with neighboring countries.

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Matsumoto, 51, the former deputy foreign minister, assumed his new post after an attestation ceremony held at the Imperial Palace on Wednesday evening.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan picked the former banker because of "his abilities and knowledge as well as his diplomatic consistency", said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano.

Matsumoto will make his international debut in his new capacity at a two-day meeting of G8 foreign ministers in Paris on Monday, followed by a meeting with foreign ministers from China and the Republic of Korea (ROK), slated for March 19 in Kyoto.

The appointment came as Tokyo seeks to improve relations with neighboring countries following recent disputes.

China-Japan relations soured last September after Japan held a Chinese trawler captain following his boat's collisions with Japanese coast guard ships near the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.

In a sign that ties are still strained, Japan scrambled jets this month after Chinese navy planes flew near the islands, though they did not enter Japan's airspace. The Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday China has undisputable sovereignty over the islands, and the planes' flight was in accordance with international law.

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said on Monday that he is ready to maintain good working relations with the next Japanese foreign minister.

Yang stressed that "to pursue a sound Sino-Japanese relationship would be a wise choice for both sides".

Beijing and Tokyo will have a series of high-profile meetings in the coming months, including Premier Wen Jiabao's possible participation in the China-Japan-ROK leaders' summit to be held May 21-22 in Tokyo.

Given the fact that Matsumoto has been involved in some diplomatic missions when he was deputy foreign minister, Kan's choice emphasized the continuity of Japan's foreign policy, said Huo Jiangang, an expert on Japan studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

"Matsumoto was not a key figure in Kan's political circle like Maehara. But he is likely to continue the policies, though he will not have as much say in the setting of policies as his predecessor did," he said. Japan has no clear diplomatic strategy and if Kan wants to improve relations with China he needs to take concrete action, Huo added.

Wang Ping, a researcher with the Institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Maehara tried to improve relations with China during the latter part of his term, but with little effect.

Japan's ties with Russia are also strained, due to a territorial dispute, after Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev visited a Russian island in November, also claimed by Japan.

Wang said there is no doubt Matsumoto hopes to improve relations with China, but may be unable to do so because of the fast-changing political scene in Japan.

Matsumoto, a law graduate of the elite University of Tokyo, worked as a banker for the Industrial Bank of Japan and was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2000.

China Daily