Me-- Me-- Whom? Whom?

Though Tokyo and Peking have recently exchanged ambassadors, the Japanese are discovering that it is not so easy to switch alliances. Take air travel, for instance. Premier Tanaka wants to conclude an aviation agreement with the mainland, but Peking has indicated that he can have no such agreement unless Japan curtails air ties with Taiwan. A solution will not be easy. Besides being lucrative (37 Japan Air Lines flights a week, as well as 21 China Airlines flights), the Taiwan connection is backed by many members of Tanaka's own Liberal Democratic Party. Already angered by the cutting of diplomatic relations with Taiwan, these members could threaten party unity at a time when Tanaka already faces mounting left-wing opposition in the Diet. Tanaka remains optimistic, telling aides: "You must have long-range vision."

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