IN A SIGN OF ITS STRAINED TIES WITH CHINA, JAPAN SAID ON THURSDAY IT WOULD POSTPONE A DECISION ON FRESH YEN LOANS TO BEIJING UNTIL AFTER ITS FISCAL YEAR ENDS ON MARCH 31, REUTERS REPORTED. A FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN SAID, HOWEVER, THAT THE DELAY DID NOT MEAN JAPAN WAS CUTTING OFF OR FREEZING AID TO CHINA. 'WE WILL PUT OFF MAKING A DECISION ON YEN LOANS FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR TO CHINA ... BECAUSE OF VARIOUS SITUATIONS SURROUNDING SINO-JAPANESE RELATIONS AT THIS TIME,' CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SHINZO ABE TOLD A NEWS CONFERENCE. 'THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS MORE TIME TO WORK ON IT,' ABE SAID. ABE ADDED, HOWEVER, THAT THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN JAPAN'S POLICY TO PROCEED WITH NEW YEN LOANS 'BASED ON FUTURE-ORIENTED SINO-JAPANESE RELATIONS' -- A PHRASE OFTEN USED TO DESCRIBE THE TWO COUNTRIES' EFFORTS TO PUT THEIR BITTER PAST BEHIND THEM. IN BEIJING, A CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN SAID TOKYO'S 'UNILATERAL' DECISION WOULD NOT HELP IMPROVE TIES.
