InsideJapan News Network

Whoever wins the US presidential election next week will have to strike a fine diplomatic balance between Japan and China, according to an expert.

While Democrat nominee Barack Obama favours maintaining strong relations with Japan and forging links with China, his Republican rival John McCain is more wary of increasing ties with China, reports AFP.

Keiko Iizuka, a Japanese journalist and currently a visiting fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, said a pact between the US and China was unlikely to happen in the near future "whereas the US-Japan alliance is comprehensive, including security, economic, cultural and social ties".

According to polling from Real Clear Politics, Mr Obama currently holds a six-point lead over Mr McCain, including leads in battleground states such as Ohio, Colorado and Florida.

Among the tough choices facing the new president is whether or not to sell F-22 fighter jets to Tokyo, which are better equipped than those in the Chinese air force.