Japan PM Naoto Kan at the United Nations: Unheard of!

Where is the audience? Question is : How come Japan is erased day after day of the world's map of influential and affluent nations?

Prime Minister Naoto Kan speaks at UN

Millennium Development Goals Summit New York on Wednesday

in the middle of a severe diplomatic battle with China

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan pledged Wednesday during a New York U.N. summit on eradicating poverty that Tokyo will offer a total of $8.5 billion over five years from 2011 to help improve the health of mothers and babies as well as education services in poor countries.

Specifically, Japan will offer $5 billion over the five years to support efforts to improve the maternal and pediatric health services, combat Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria as well as international health threats, such as the spread of new type of Influenza. In the area of education, Japan will offer $3.5 billion in aid to back comprehensive efforts to improve the educational environment for children under the "School for All" initiative.

Kan also unveiled Tokyo's new initiative called EMBRACE, the acronym of "ensure mothers and babies regular access to care," aimed at providing seamless and continued services to pregnant mothers and newborns by conducting regular checkups, improving access to hospitals and offering vaccinations.

Referring to his experience of tackling a scandal involving HIV- tainted blood products in Japan, in which an estimated 2,000 hemophiliacs were infected with the virus that causes AIDS, Kan said he has long been interested in the fight against the infectious disease. (Kan shot to fame in 1996 when he was health minister for battling with bureaucrats to uncover hidden documents and admitting the government's responsibility in the scandal.)

But who listened to PM Kan? Attention now is rather on the disproportionate territorial dispute between Beijing and Tokyo.

China effectively rejected Japan’s Wednesday call for high-level talks to address rising bilateral tensions in the wake of a ship collision earlier this month near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

‘‘Unless the Japanese side corrects mistakes and releases the Chinese captain unconditionally, it is unavoidable that bilateral relations will deteriorate further,’’ Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a statement.

It is futile to ‘‘play tricks deceiving’’ international public opinion, Jiang said, criticizing Japan for arresting the Chinese fishing boat captain.

Earlier Wednesday, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku expressed hope for high-level talks with China ‘‘as soon as possible,’’ suggesting a meeting between Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in New York.

The two leaders are in the United States this week for U.N. but gatherings won't work and they won't meet. China refused.

Remaining here is the European Union, a proved grown-up in territorial settlements through integration --who has not spent time in Cognac Jean Monnet's birth city?-- inquired Wednesday about the relationship between Japan and China. Catherine Ashton, EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, asked her Japanese counterpart Seiji Maehara about developments following the collisions near the disputed Islands. Maehara regarded as a DPJ hawk close to the United States said Japan will continue to deal with the incident according to domestic law and seek a "calm" response from China.

"Ginza Lu", favorite spot of Chinese tourists

Businessmen and industries in both countries are not happy -- on this it's important to read further into Nissan Chief Carlos Ghosn's statement about technology transfer to China-- and straightforward critics add that China who did not cancel all tourists group from shopping on Ginza boulevard (The Champs Elysées of Tokyo) is to increase military presence of her Chinese Navy around Senkaku Daioyu islands looking to intimidate the Japanese SDSF while the U.S. might not want to have direct interference and conflict with China over these rocks - islands dispute.

Maybe the reference to Taiwan as a tool of Chinese inflexibility could indicate to these 2 non-partners heading to the wall at the November APEC meeting in Yokohama that it is time to take care of proper routing. Sending ships under a foolish weather is not the best a Captain can do...

The Ninja versus the Panda

This JP - China quarrel has even developed as talented Animated News game format on the Internet "Japan China relations sour over island dispute: 釣魚台爭議衝擊日本與中國關係"

Click the arrow to watch the anime vdo

Sources: Agencies, NMA youtube, Reporter's notes