Le Japon semble se feliciter de l'election toute recente de Nicolas Sarkozy, un temps injustement accuse en France d'avoir medit du pays cher au coeur du futur ancien President Chirac. De cette affaire montee de toute piece - peut-etre meme par des proches de Jacques Chirac qui avait encore, alors, l'ambition de briguer un troisieme mandat - le Japon pourtant hyper-sensible aux marques de dedain developpees par les etrangers a son egard, n'en aura manifestement pas ete dupe, et ne parait avoir garde en aucune facon rancune a l'egard son nouveau partenaire francais.
Aussi le Premier Ministre japonais, Abe Shinzo, s'est-il empresse de presenter ses plus chaleureuses felicitations a Nicolas Sarkozy, declarant meme etre persuade qu'avec ce dernier, les relations franco-japonaises ne pourraient qu'aller en progressant. Le porte-parole du gouvernement nippon M. Shiozaki, a lui aussi exprime son contentement au nom de toute l'equipe gouvernementale, qui, il est vrai, est constituee de politiciens de meme tendance que celle a laquelle appartient M. Sarkozy.
Maintenant, si vous souhaitez avoir plus de details sur ce fait du jour, reportez-vous sans plus tarder a l'article ci-dessous de la premiere agence de presse nippone,
Kyodo, qui donne la parole aux principaux interesses....
Japan hopes to enhance bilateral ties with France The Japanese government expressed hope Monday of enhancing bilateral relations with France following the election of Nicolas Sarkozy as the new French president Sunday.
''I would like to offer my congratulations to Mr. Sarkozy, who was elected president,'' Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters at his office in Tokyo. ''I met him in January and felt his strong will to make France an even better nation.''
Abe, who turned 52 in September, said he and Sarkozy, who turned 52 in January, are of the same generation and said he wants to join hands with the new French leader to ''build the Japan-France relationship and a new Japan-France era.''
Former Interior Minister Sarkozy, head of the governing conservative UMP, defeated socialist rival Segolene Royal by a wide margin in the French presidential election.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told a news conference that Japan hopes to enhance the already healthy bilateral ties under the new president and coordinate in contributing to resolving various international issues.
The Japanese government's top spokesman said he wants to pay his respects to the high turnout of 83.97 percent for the presidential election, saying it reflects the ''strength of democracy.''
Asked about the possible effects of the change in power from President Jacques Chirac, a well-known Japanophile, Shiozaki said, ''Even if (Sarkozy) has not been described as pro-Japan, what is important is what kind of Japan-France relationship he builds as president.''
He said Japan expects the president-elect to make efforts toward building on the strong bilateral relationship.
Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi, meanwhile, told a separate news conference that Japan intends to arrange a meeting between Sarkozy and Abe on the sidelines of the summit of Group of Eight major nations in June in Germany, the first opportunity for the two leaders to meet.
Sarkozy garnered 53.06 percent of the vote against 46.94 percent for Royal, a former environment minister, in the presidential runoff Sunday night, according to the Interior Ministry's final tally.
He was elected for a five-year term, to succeed Chirac, 74, who will retire after holding the post for the past 12 years. Sarkozy will be sworn in as president May 16.
TOKYO, May 7 KYODO