Neither topic will be easy, but progress could lay the groundwork for future efforts. It could also demonstrate Japan's willingness to take on tough questions involving promotion of democracy and human rights. Japan has been more visibly active recently in its foreign diplomacy. Last year it exerted high-level pressure on the Indonesian government during the East Timor crisis . It has urged dialogue between India and Pakistan in Kashmir , and used its aid policy to press the Sri Lankan government to end abuses in the conflict with Tamil minority guerrillas.
Japan is committed to encouraging greater economic openness and reform in China.
It has strongly supported Beijing's entry into the World Trade Organizatio n. But it has been reluctant to openly criticize Beijing on its human rights record, despite the marked deterioration in conditions in China. A bilateral human rights dialogue between Japan and China under way since 1997 has yet to have tangible results. At the annual meeting of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva in April, Japan refused to co-sponsor a mildly worded resolution on China put forward by the United States, although it did vote against a ' 'no action'' measure by Beijing to keep the resolution off the agenda. Once again, China escaped international condemnation.