Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi indicated Friday he does not plan to visit China in the fall to mark the 30th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral ties.
"I won't stick to that plan," Koizumi told reporters, referring to his proposed fall visit.
In mid-April, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji invited Koizumi to China when they met on Hainan Island. Following the meeting, the government began preparations for a Koizumi visit with an anticipated date of late September.
Shortly after the summit, however, Koizumi paid homage at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which honors Japanese war criminals along with the nation's war dead, souring the friendly mood between the two nations.