The Japanese government is considering appointing Uichiro Niwa, the former president of trading company Itochu Corp., as its next ambassador to China. To give such a job to a non-bureaucrat is an unusual move in Japan's rarefied diplomatic service, but this would be no cushy reward from the government in return for past favors. China is Japan's main trading partner and chief source of friction over territorial and historical issues. "It's a sign that the government doesn't trust the bureaucrats," says Robert Dujarric of Temple University, Japan Campus. "They would prefer to have 'their man' in Beijing."