TOKYO, Feb. 29 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Some Japanese Cabinet ministers expressed displeasure Friday at China's announcement on Thursday that downplayed the likelihood of China-made dumplings having been contaminated in China, criticizing the remarks as being counterproductive to joint efforts in investigating the poisoning case in Japan.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura urged that the two sides' investigative authorities "overcome" their differences and continue to cooperate in order to get to the bottom of the case, in hopes of preventing a negative impact on public sentiment and on a historic visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao to Japan slated for April.
Both Japanese and Chinese authorities have not pinned down how an insecticide made its way into the packages of the dumplings, manufactured in China, which caused 10 people in Japan to fall ill after having eaten them.
"Japanese police and the health ministry are doing their best in investigating the case, and it is sad that (the Chinese) flatly denied it," Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama said. "I wonder if it is impossible to have true cooperation on the investigation."
At a separate news conference, National Public Safety Commission Chairman Shinya Izumi said, "The Chinese side's announcement of its opinion all of a sudden at a news conference without providing any specific information and analysis results is not going to solve the problem."
"What should be done in the first place is to find out the truth behind the incident," Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe said. "I wonder if it was good to make such an announcement at that stage."
Chinese government and police officials said Thursday that, based on their research, it was "highly unlikely" that the dumplings were contaminated in China.
Based on their investigations, Japanese officials have said the insecticide detected in the dumplings was likely to have been added in China, not in Japan.
On Thursday, a Chinese public security official voiced regret that Japanese police refused requests to provide some pieces of evidence gathered in Japan on the case. Japanese police agency chief Hiroto Yoshimura said Japan is ready to provide them if Chinese authorities identify a suspect.
On Friday, Izumi said the Chinese authorities have yet to respond to Japan's request for analysis data on a murder case in Hebei Province in which similar pesticides were believed to have been used.
"We hope that the Chinese side would provide the information we are asking for. Through that, I think we can get to the bottom of this," Izumi said.
Amid concerns that failure to resolve the issue soon would cause public sentiment to further deteriorate on both sides, Foreign Minister Komura said, "I hope the investigative authorities can overcome their differences and cooperate with each other. It is important to find the truth and work on preventing a recurrence."
Asked about the possible impact on Hu's visit, Komura said Japan hopes "to welcome him in a good atmosphere" but also stressed that the scheduling of the trip will not be determined by progress on investigations of the case.
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