Fukuda willing to attend Olympic opening ceremony

Friday 02nd May, 12:02 PM JST

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12 Comments

some14some at 07:14 AM JST - 2nd May

Perhaps Fukuda will be the first to arrive at the scence.
OssanULTRA at 08:06 AM JST - 2nd May

Perhaps Fukuda will be the only one at the scene.
tclh at 11:40 AM JST - 2nd May

May be he should go ,but with buttons of Tibet shape on his shirts,trousers.China can't do a damn thing about it.
capone at 12:45 PM JST - 2nd May

highly possible...can you be any more vague than that ?
curlygene at 07:04 PM JST - 2nd May

Fukuda, a politician's politician, will wait and see what everyone else is doing before deciding which side of the fence is safer.
rjd_jr at 12:50 AM JST - 3rd May

Wouldn't go if I were him. I can only imagine the scene when the Japanese athletes march into the stadium for opening ceremony, with the Japanese rising sun flag. No doubt has the potential to be an ugly scene for sure, especially with all the pent up anger the Chinese have over the continual attacks they have undergone for the Tibet thing. Probably things thrown at them, lots of jeering for sure. They need something to take the heat off them, the Japanese will be the perfect remedy.
westurn at 12:59 AM JST - 3rd May

"Wouldn't go if I were him. I can only imagine the scene when the Japanese athletes march into the stadium for opening ceremony, with the Japanese rising sun flag. No doubt has the potential to be an ugly scene for sure"

Dude are you for real ??? I wouldn't miss this for a moment ! The thought of Fukuda gettin' dinged in the chops with some wayward gyoza is obviously worth the price of admission !
Triple888 at 03:36 AM JST - 3rd May

Fukuda by attending the ceremony will seal the trust between the governments.
OssanULTRA at 07:44 AM JST - 3rd May

rjd

The mod deleted my response to you but the point is that you seem to think that there is still anti-Japan sentiment in China (which there is for sure) but that's officially on the back burner. No Japanese athletes or visitors are going to be at risk to the extent that Western ones are. Hu himself is visiting Japan to ensure that somebody from a rich country will come see the Olympics. As I said, I'm far more worried about the French Team than the Japanese one.
NeoJamal at 08:35 AM JST - 3rd May

Is the Chinese public too hypocritical to notice the irony that it takes about a government that denies the Nanking Massacre to feel indifferent to China's brutal suppession of Tibet's exercise of exclusive cognisance and hence turn up to the opening ceremony?

George W. having no objection to the deal in Tibet goes without saying.

However, South Korea's general public and leaders are hypocrits too for actively criticising Japan's non-atonement of its aggression and occupation of Korea while sending troops to Iraq and allowing Lee Myung Bak to freely express his willingness to show up at the Olympics. Any leader knows that turning up to the opening ceremony equates to that his or her country does not objecct to China's involvement in Tibet. I wonder how many J-bashing Koreans see the historical parallels between China's occupation of Tibet and their ordeal under the Japanese? I say not alot, due to the fact that Lee could say that he wants to go without any hindrance from public opinion.

Japanese nationalists on the otherhand are not hypocrits. If you give them examples of atrocities, whether it be one that was committed by Japan in the past or contemporary like Tibet, they'll say they're no big deal to warrant objection. As Fukuda represents the government and party that is supported by many nationalists and rightists, it can be reasonably said that Fukuda's willingness to go to the opening ceremony is derived from the same mentality that has enraged much of the Chinese public on revision of events that occured throughout the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Seriously, if China wants to preserve credibility in its J-bashing, they ought to reject Fukuda's request, otherwise whatever they want to say about Japanese historical revision will have a hollow ring to it.
Farmboy at 07:56 AM JST - 4th May

I'm willing to attend the opening ceremony, too. It's a chance to support world-class athletes from many countries, and to support the idea of a time of armistice, which existed at the time the original Olympics were held.

Curiously, not one government has invited me....
reddragonguy at 10:55 AM JST - 9th May

That doesnt bother....

This world is part of China instead China is part of this world! With or without those foreign leaders doesnt matter,there is no need to feel sad about and many countries who hates the G7 were overjoyed,those who refuse to partipicitate are shy of themselves shy of the overwhelming Chinese nationalisms, it maybe better without those fame guys like Sarkozy.... the most important thing is let the whole world see the Chinese red flags every where!