Keeping your word

A high profile approach does not necess-arily place Japan on the moral high ground.

Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, Japanese senior vice-foreign minister, came to Beijing on Tuesday carrying a letter from Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to President Hu Jintao. In arranging that communication, Japan should know that whoever started these troubles should be responsible for ending them.

Koichiro Genba, Japanese foreign minister, said on Tuesday that the two countries must exchange opinions and communicate. Those statements mark an about-face for Japan in its dispute with China over the Diaoyu Islands.