Tokyo plans to express "remorse and apology" to China in a joint statement the two countries will issue when Chinese President Jiang Zemin visits Japan, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura hinted Tuesday.Jiang hopes to visit Japan later this year, according to ministry officials.Komura told a news conference that he thinks it better for Japan to express in the joint statement the country's official view of its 1937-1945 war against China.In a document released last week during South Korean President Kim Dae Jung's visit, Japan apologized and expressed its remorse to the Korean people over its colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula between 1910 and 1945. It was the first time Japan addressed the issue in a document directed to the Korean people.As for the timing of Jiang's visit, Komura said the two countries are making last-ditch efforts to finalize his itinerary, because both sides' proposed dates have failed to jibe.Jiang's trip, originally slated for early September but postponed due to the massive flooding in central and northeastern China, is expected to come about after the Nov. 17-18 summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Kuala Lumpur.
