"What may be possible is there's some deal not to talk about it with China on the understanding Abe is not going to go to Yasukuni for the time being," he said. "The Japanese side may be giving hints without saying anything concrete."

Such an understanding will allow the two countries to focus on improving economic ties, something Abe stressed during his campaign. China is Japan's second-biggest trading partner, and Japanese exports there rose 26 percent to 4.955 trillion yen ($42 billion) in the first six months of the year from the same period in 2005, according to Finance Ministry figures.

The two counties are arguing over gas drilling rights for as much as 200 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserves in the East China Sea. Hu and Abe will discuss joint development of the fields, the Yomiuri newspaper said today, without citing anyone.

"There might be room for compromise" on the gas fields, Doshisha's Hama said.

Better relations with China and South Korea will also help present a united front in dealing with North Korea. China is North Korea's biggest trading partner and has been able to persuade it to come to the negotiating table in the past.

Nuclear North

The announcement that DPRK will conduct a nuclear test prompted calls by South Korea, Japan, China, Russia and the U.S. to abandon the plan and return to six-nation talks aimed at dismantling North Korea's arms program.

Japan and the U.S. are concerned the country may test a nuclear weapon as soon as this weekend, Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi said in Washington yesterday.

If a test occurs, the U.S. will draft a United Nations resolution that will include the threat of military action against North Korea, U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton said on Oct. 4.

Abe's trip "is aimed at resurrecting relations and dealing with common problems and one of these is North Korea," said Jeffery Kingston, head of the Asian studies program at Temple University in Tokyo.

"The U.S. and China are the keys to North Korea and until now Japan hasn't been talking with one of them. Koizumi set the bar so low that Abe doesn't have to do very much to make the trip a success."

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