A group of 400 young Chinese people began a visit to Japan on October 12, making it the first people-to-people exchange after the clash between a Chinese fishing boat and a Japanese patrol vessel last month.
During their nine-day trip, which is being made at the invitation of the Japanese Government, the young people will visit a number of areas in Japan including Ibaraki and Miyagi.
Japanese officials said that the visit reflects a positive step forward in the improvement of bilateral relations and shows that Japan and China are resuming normal ties.
The same day, Japan ’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku said that t alks between Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao may be arranged for later this month in Vietnam .
''Seen from the Japanese point of view, I believe that efforts to create an environment in which they can hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the forthcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit are moving in a positive direction,'' said Sengoku at a news conference.
He added that an informal meeting between the defence chiefs of both countries on October 11 in Hanoi could also be taken as ''a sign from the Chinese,'' suggesting Beijing's readiness to talks between Kan and Wen when they attend the meeting of ASEAN plus three - China, Japan and the Republic of Korea - and the East Asia Summit in the Vietnamese capital in late October./.
During their nine-day trip, which is being made at the invitation of the Japanese Government, the young people will visit a number of areas in Japan including Ibaraki and Miyagi.
Japanese officials said that the visit reflects a positive step forward in the improvement of bilateral relations and shows that Japan and China are resuming normal ties.
The same day, Japan ’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku said that t alks between Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao may be arranged for later this month in Vietnam .
''Seen from the Japanese point of view, I believe that efforts to create an environment in which they can hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the forthcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit are moving in a positive direction,'' said Sengoku at a news conference.
He added that an informal meeting between the defence chiefs of both countries on October 11 in Hanoi could also be taken as ''a sign from the Chinese,'' suggesting Beijing's readiness to talks between Kan and Wen when they attend the meeting of ASEAN plus three - China, Japan and the Republic of Korea - and the East Asia Summit in the Vietnamese capital in late October./.
