Koichiro Asakai, Japan's former Ambassador to Washington, used to have what he called a "recurring nightmare." It was that he would "wake up one glorious morning to find that the U.S. had recognized Communist China, having given Japan no advance notification." Three weeks ago, when Richard Nixon told a startled world that he intended to visit Peking, the unexpected announcement proved a bad dream indeed for Japan's Eisaku Sato. Coming as it did without any prior consultation and so little advance notification as to be humiliating, it left the 70-year-old Premier hurt,...
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