Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping had an audience Tuesday with Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace amid political wrangling over the exceptional meeting, which was arranged by the government in breach of Imperial protocol.
Tokyo initially declined China's request for the audience filed late last month because it was not made at least one month in advance, as required by the Imperial Household Agency. But it changed its position last week in light of, according to sources, Beijing's persistence in seeking a meeting and pressure from ruling party kingpin Ichiro Ozawa.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's government apparently prioritized Japan's relations with China over domestic protocol as Xi is regarded as the front-runner to succeed President Hu Jintao.