BEIJING, China (Reuters) — Shotaro Yachi, head of Japan’s National Security Council, met with Chinese state councilor Yang Jiechi on Thursday (August 25) for talks in Beijing.
The two shook hands at the Diaoyutai state guesthouse before sitting down to talks in which they discussed improving relations between the two countries.
Yachi is expected to meet Premier Li Keqiang later on Thursday afternoon.
Sino-Japanese relations, coloured by Japan’s occupation of parts of China before and during World War Two as well as rivalry for regional influence, have thawed after two meetings between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping since November 2014.
A recent summit in Tokyo marked the first visit to Japan by a Chinese foreign minister since the Japanese government took over three of the tiny islands at the centre of a dispute with China, from private Japanese owners in September 2012.
Despite recent improvements, China’s Foreign Ministry said last month that a Japanese man detained by Chinese authorities earlier this year is being investigated on suspicion of “endangering national security”.