A Japanese envoy arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for talks aimed at cooling tensions over an island dispute that has raised fears of an armed confrontation.
Natsuo Yamaguchi made no comments upon his arrival but told reporters in Tokyo he hoped his trip would help ease months of friction over the uninhabited East China Sea islands that are controlled by Japan but claimed by China.
‘It is important for us to have consultations to normalise our relationship,’ said Yamaguchi, a lawmaker who leads the New Komeito party, the junior partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
However, he said Tokyo's assertion that the islands are Japanese territory is unchanged, rejecting Chinese demands to acknowledge any dispute over their sovereignty.
Both nations have called for dialogue recently, and Chinese state broadcaster CCTV led its noon news broadcast with a live report on Yamaguchi's arrival in a sign of the importance Beijing attaches to his visit.
Yamaguchi is not a member of the government so his meetings in Beijing represent a type of quiet diplomacy that could allow for a franker exchange of views than official talks might. Yamaguchi's schedule for his four-day visit hasn't been announced, although Chinese media reported he was to deliver a letter from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addressed to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Natsuo Yamaguchi made no comments upon his arrival but told reporters in Tokyo he hoped his trip would help ease months of friction over the uninhabited East China Sea islands that are controlled by Japan but claimed by China.
‘It is important for us to have consultations to normalise our relationship,’ said Yamaguchi, a lawmaker who leads the New Komeito party, the junior partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
However, he said Tokyo's assertion that the islands are Japanese territory is unchanged, rejecting Chinese demands to acknowledge any dispute over their sovereignty.
Both nations have called for dialogue recently, and Chinese state broadcaster CCTV led its noon news broadcast with a live report on Yamaguchi's arrival in a sign of the importance Beijing attaches to his visit.
Yamaguchi is not a member of the government so his meetings in Beijing represent a type of quiet diplomacy that could allow for a franker exchange of views than official talks might. Yamaguchi's schedule for his four-day visit hasn't been announced, although Chinese media reported he was to deliver a letter from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addressed to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.