Junichiro Koizumi (left) and Hu Jintao

The agreement to better relations through dialogue and exchanges came at a meeting held on the sidelines of a summit of Asian and African leaders in Jakarta in Indonesia, held to ease tensions between the two countries described as the worst in over three decades.

At a news conference, Koizumi said the two leaders "were able to share the importance of bilateral relations, without being affected by some sectors with anti-Japan or anti-China feelings."

But Koizumi also said that he called on Hu to "take appropriate measures" to protect Japanese diplomatic missions, business and citizens in China, after recent anti-Japan protests resulted in damage to some of them.

Speaking separately to reporters, Hu called on Koizumi to back up his feelings of remorse for Japan's wartime past with action, in words widely believed to be calling for a halt to visits to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.

"Japan's mistaken actions over the issue of history and Taiwan have hurt the feelings of China and related Asian nations," Hu said.

The Japan Times Weekly: April 30, 2005
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