TOKYO  - Japan's new Prime Minister Taro Aso heads Thursday to a summit in China, hoping to show his experience managing difficult relations between the Asian powers as he braces for tough elections at home.

Aso, who took over a month ago, will take part in Beijing in a summit of Asian and European leaders from Friday, which is expected to be dominated by discussion of the global financial crisis.

Aso, a former foreign minister who has touted his record in diplomacy, is likely to try to show a leadership role for Japan, whose own banking system collapsed a decade ago under the weight of bad loans.

Diplomats said Aso would use summits with Chinese leaders to raise concerns on food safety. A Japanese woman recently fell ill from eating frozen beans in the latest incident with Chinese-made food.

Japan has uneasy relations with its neighbours due largely to the legacy of Tokyo's past aggression. Relations hit rock bottom during the 2001-2006 premiership of Junichiro Koizumi.

But the two countries have since been repairing relations. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in a message to Aso on Thursday that there was an "important opportunity" to build relations.

"China is willing to join hands with Japan to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, expand friendly exchanges and continue to push current bilateral ties forward," Wen said.

Aso is also expected to meet with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak to seek cooperation on North Korea.
Japan's opposition, which is pushing for snap elections, has attacked the prime minister for failing to stop the United States from removing North Korea from a blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism.

The US move jumpstarted nuclear disarmament talks. But Japan has wanted North Korea to give a fuller accounting of Japanese civilians it kidnapped in the 1970s and 1980s to train its spies - an issue that strikes an emotional
chord for the Japanese public.

The opposition has been gaining ground as voters blame Aso's Liberal Democratic Party - who have been in power almost continuously since 1955 - for a sagging economy and corruption scandals.

Aso replaced Yasuo Fukuda, who was known for his conciliatory views towards other Asian nations and held a series of summits with Chinese leaders.

Aso credits himself with helping repair ties with Beijing during his 2005-2007 tenure as foreign minister through talks with his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of international meetings.

However, Aso did not visit China as foreign minister and caused controversy with a series of remarks, including saying in 2005 that Beijing "is becoming a considerable threat" to Japan because of its rising military spending.

But Aso knows his job would be at risk if he sets back ties with China, said Takehiko Yamamoto, a fellow at Harvard University and professor of international politics at Waseda University in Tokyo.

"As prime minister, I think Mr. Aso will try to promote warmer ties with China and South Korea, hiding his true beliefs," Yamamoto said.

The summit can boost Aso's standing at home, said Junichi Takase, professor of politics at Nagoya University of Foreign Studies.

Aso is "probably aware that none of the current problems - for instance, the financial crisis and North Korean issues - can be resolved without cooperation with other countries," Takase said.

"If he doesn't ad lib his remarks, which could turn into a gaffe, the mere fact that he is participating in an international conference as Japan's premier will earn him higher public support rates," he said.