Japan has begun the selection process for its new ambassador to China after its recently appointed ambassador Shi-nichi Nishi-miya died Sunday in Tokyo.

Some officials have been reported as saying the candidates for that position are Mi-toji Yabu-naka, the current Japanese Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs in charge of administration and Shi-ge-kazu Sato, the current Japanese ambassador to Thailand.

Yabu-naka served as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Director-General. He has been a diplomat for nearly forty years. Sato joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1974. In August 2006, he was appointed Consul-General of Japan in Hong Kong.

But reports say the confirmation of the new ambassador to China may take some time, as it needs the approval of China. And the new ambassador must take up the post within 40 days after his appointment. Some reports also say the government has been considering to postpone the term of the current Japanese Ambassador to China Ui-chiro Niwa.

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