Taking its cue from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's largely successful fence-mending trip to China, Japan will formally inaugurate a blue-ribbon troupe to prepare for an extravaganza commemorating the 30th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.
It's not a real group of stage performers, of course. It's a government-organized committee comprising a host of Japanese leaders in private-sector circles, especially from business.
According to government sources, the committee -- headed by Nobuyuki Idei, Sony Corp.'s charismatic chairman and chief executive officer, and including many other business and other private-sector leaders -- will hold its inaugural meeting in Tokyo at the end of November.