Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's visit to Beijing has shown that Japan and China have almost completely overcome the chilly bilateral relations caused by then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine, Japan's war shrine.
The two countries' leaders agreed on the importance of pushing a "mutually beneficial strategic relationship" in such fields as the economy, energy and environmental protection. President Hu Jintao will visit Japan next spring. It is significant that in his meeting with Mr. Fukuda, Mr. Hu characterized current bilateral ties as "good relations in which improvement and development are happening."
During a joint press conference with Premier Wen Jiabao, Mr. Fukuda said, "At no time in the two counties' long history have they had so much power to contribute to the world's development and stabilization as now. We have great responsibility." Both Japan and China must take a cue from Mr. Fukuda's words and cooperate to minimize friction and promote stabilization in East Asia and other regions.