No apology, no declaration

8220;We view the situation with South Korea differently,8221; said Akitaka Saiki, deputy press secretary to Obuchi. 8220;Firstly, Japan never colonised China and secondly the emperor has already visited China and expressed his remorse, we think this issue is already over,8221; he said.

China says 20 million people died during and after the 1937-45 war with Japan. The notorious 1937 Nanjing massacre alone killed 140,000 people, according to Allied trials of Japanese war criminals. Thewar has caused decades of bitterness in China, even though the two countries formally resumed diplomatic ties in 1972.

Japanese officials said there were never firm plans for Jiang and Obuchi to sign the declaration. 8220;Both sides have never planned a signing from the beginning,8221; Japan8217;s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka told a news conference.

Saiki underlined the fact that Jiang did not sign the joint statement made with US President Bill Clinton during his state visit to Washington last year and said China 8220;never brought up the issue of signing8221;. Chinese embassy officials, however, said the signing of the joint declaration had been left open, and the signing had still to be confirmed.

Jiang gave no indication of the diplomatic storm as he attended a formal welcoming ceremony at the state guest house in Tokyo, shaking hands with Emperor Akihito before inspecting troops and hearing both national anthems in a large cobbled square. The joint statement after the summit is intended to focus onputting Sino-Japanese relations on a new footing for the 21st century and is to include a statement of remorse by Tokyo for its wartime aggression.

8220;There is an unfortunate history in which Japan8217;s militarism made aggression into China,8221; Jiang said in an breakfast meeting with former Japanese premiers.

8220;History cannot be killed and particularly among younger generations it is important to have the right recognition about what happened,8221; he added.