The conservatives in Japan have defended Aso and Yasukuni with Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura saying Aso did so ‘with his own pocket money in a private capacity’. That, while 87 of their LDP colleagues went and paid their respects at the shrine and drank some sake.

The Chinese issued a statement saying ‘the question of history is highly sensitive’. and that it has ‘serious concern and dissatisfaction’ concerning Aso’s actions, while at the same time demanding the United States cancel a visit there by the Dalai Lama – an act that some people strangely find a little hypocritical.

This is all par for the course. China had to issue a statement voicing its displeasure to satisfy certain elements. Meanwhile Aso in a way had to honour the war dead (not necessarily the 14 class A war criminals) to satisfy his nationalist base (and his own appetite). It’s actually reassuring that he didn’t go himself. A visit to the Shrine would have damaged the China-Japan relationship and that’s something he can’t afford in an election year – what with Japan’s economy so closely linked to China’s. China actually kept the rhetoric consistent (from previous incidents) and in the foreign ministry statement said that ‘any erroneous moves by Japan will produce grave and negative impact on bilateral relations’ and hinted at one stage of cancelling Aso’s trip.

What does this mean for Aso’s trip to Beijing? Not much. We can expect a meeting that stresses the importance of the strategic partnership between Japan and China and all the progress that has been made in the bilateral relationship. While North Korea will be talked about, China and Japan aren’t the countries that can break the deadlock or bring Pyongyang back to the negotiating table. On climate change, there is more room to deliver with hopes for furthering the useful initiatives that both governments are pushing on green technology transfer and climate change mitigation – both productive and positive moves at any time but perhaps with the more likelihood for success and impact in a downturn.

Japanese leadership is constrained by its economic dependence on China and will want to keep the focus on bilateral economic positives. At the same time, China no doubt has its fingers crossed that Aso, who is perhaps the next most conservative nationalist leader in recent times after former PM Abe Shinzo, loses in the election that is due later this year.