Japanese foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya met counterpart Wang Yi and other top officials in Beijing on Wednesday, after Tokyo acknowledged "challenges and concerns" in ties.
The visit is Iwaya's first to China since becoming Japan's top diplomat earlier this year. He met with Chinese counterpart Wang at Beijing's opulent Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on Wednesday, footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed.
China and Japan are key trading partners, but increased friction over disputed territories and military spending has frayed ties in recent years. Tensions also flared last year over Japan's decision to begin releasing into the Pacific Ocean some of the 540 Olympic swimming pools' worth of reactor cooling water amassed since the tsunami that led to the Fukushima nuclear disaster -- an operation the UN atomic agency deemed safe. China branded the move "selfish" and banned all Japanese seafood imports, but in September said it would "gradually resume" the trade. China imported more than $500 million worth of seafood from Japan in 2022, according to customs data.
Iwaya told reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday that "China represents one of the most important bilateral relationships for us". "Between Japan and China, there are various possibilities but also multiple challenges and concerns," he said. "Both countries possess the heavy responsibilities for the peace and stability of our region and the international community," he added.
China's foreign ministry said Beijing sought to "strengthen dialogue and communication" in order to "properly manage differences" with Japan. Beijing will "strive to build a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship that meets the requirements of the new era", spokeswoman Mao Ning said.