Japan trade minister threatened over China ties

TOKYO - Japan's trade minister known for his close ties with China received a razor blade along with a letter in the mail, threatening him not to flatter Beijing, Japanese media said today.

Toshihiro Nikai is one of the few ministers in Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's cabinet who has personal contacts with Chinese politicians, and met Premier Wen Jiabao in Beijing in February in a bid to mend frayed ties between the two countries.

"Don't pander to China. You're handing over Japan's assets and riches," said the letter, according to the reports quoting Tokyo police.

"We urge you to commit suicide," it added.

An official at Tokyo Metropolitan police declined to comment on the reports.

Nikai's ministry is jointly in charge of talks with China over disputed natural gas fields in the East China Sea, which Beijing has continued to develop despite Japanese requests not to.

The latest round of talks held last week failed to resolve differences, although the two sides agreed to meet in June.

The news comes as foreign ministers from both countries are set to hold a meeting - the first in an year - in Qatar this week on the sidelines of an international meeting.

Ties between the Asian neighbours have deteriorated since Koizumi took office in 2001 and began annual visits to the Yasukuni shrine for war dead, seen by China and South Korea as well as critics at home as a symbol of Tokyo's past militarism.

- REUTERS