With all the fanfare generated by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Beijing later this week, perhaps the most significant aspect is that it is happening at all.
Despite both taking office around the same time in 2012, Abe and his Chinese President Xi Jinping have never visited each other's countries for a formal bilateral summit, with all of their previous encounters taking place on the sidelines of international conferences.
But after six years, Abe will finally make the trek, paving the way for a reciprocal visit by Xi to Japan at some point in the future.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.