Sino-Japanese relations will be deepened if the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) wins power in the upcoming general election, Katsuya Okada, secretary general of the main opposition, told Chinese correspondents in Tokyo Monday.

"The mainstream consensus within DPJ is that the relations between Japan and China is very important. I believe if DPJ becomes the ruling party, the relations will be further improved," Okada said.

"Leaders of DPJ have made it clear that we would like to develop good relations with China. I myself regularly visit China once a year, and I have been there for about 15 times," he said.

Okada said if DPJ secures a victory in the Aug. 30 lower house election, the main focus before next year's upper house election will be domestic politics. As for Sino-Japanese relations, he said despite some unsettled divergences, the relations remained healthy and there is no need to have an overhaul.

He also said DPJ leader, if becoming prime minister, would not visit Yasukuni Shrine, where top Word War II criminals are honored.

"It's not appropriate for Japanese prime minister to visit the shrine," he said.

As for issues of Tibet and Xinjiang autonomous regions of China, Okada acknowledged these are purely China's domestic issues and DPJ would not intervene.

The DPJ is expected to break a half-century of rule by the Liberal Democratic Party through its widely predicted victory in an Aug. 30 general election.

(Xinhua News Agency August 4, 2009)