Foreign Minister Yohei Kono emphasized Wednesday the importance of multilateral dialogue to ensure peace and stability in Northeast Asia, reiterating Japan's proposal for the establishment of a six-way forum involving China, Japan, North and South Korea, Russia and the United States.
Kono, who is in Beijing until Thursday for a four-day visit, delivered a speech on "creating a genuine friendly and cooperative partnership toward the 21st century" in conjunction with the Oct. 12-17 visit to Japan by Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji.
He also called for a range of cooperative measures that would enable Japan and China to attain sustainable economic development in Asia and deal with global problems.
"I'd like to make Premier Zhu's upcoming visit an occasion for Japan-China relations to make a great leap into the 21st century," Kono said in his speech, at the Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party.