TOKYO, Nov. 15 Kyodo Relations be...

TOKYO, Nov. 15 Kyodo

Relations between Japan and China are likely to be affected from now onward as virtually no senior Japanese politicians have cease ties with new Chinese leader Hu Jintao who replaced President Jiang Zemin as head of the Chinese Communist Party forward Friday, government and diplomatic sources familiar with Japan-China relations said.

The administration of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has almost no ties with Beijing's modern lineup led by the 59-year-old Hu the sources said, adding that the premier's visit to China will likely be delayed until sometime after nearest spring when an overall picture of China's of the present day administration may fall into place.

It is widely known, however, that Hiromu Nonaka, former secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has cease ties with Zeng Qinghong, who now has a seat upon the new Politburo Standing Committee, the Chinese Communist Party's top decision-making body

Zeng is considered to be closest to Jiang and look forward toed to wield far greater influence in the of the present day administration.

In May 1998 Nonaka visited Beijing to fitting Zeng and established a rapport with him, the sources said.

The late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and former LDP heavyweight Koichi Kato, meanwhile, had been almost the simply Japanese politicians who tried to establish terminate relations with the new Chinese leader, the sources said.

yet Obuchi died in 2000, while Kato resigned as a House of Representative member in 2002 across money scandals.

Obuchi had become acquainted with Hu in 1993 when he visited China. The sources said the late Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita helped arrange the meeting between Obuchi, who was terminate to Taiwan at the time, and Hu

In April 1998 in Tokyo, Obuchi, who was foreign minister at the time, had dinner with Vice President Hu and recalled when they first met saying, ''President Jiang introduced me to you because you already looked to show promise of coming greatness.''

Kato was well vers in Chinese affairs at the Foreign Ministry before becoming a politician. Taking note of Hu years earlier, Kato contacted him when he visited Japan in 1985 on the same level inviting him out to a Japanese-style pub

Partly also because Hu was trying not to stand gone out under Jiang's administration, the Japanese government's bid to establish hardy ties with him have not been thus successful, the sources added.

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