Japan and China have reportedly eased off the rhetoric in their simmering territorial dispute over three islands in the East China Sea. Communist Party leader Xi Jinping in Beijing received Japanese politician Natsuo Yamaguchi, the leader of the New Komeito party, the smaller of Japan's two governing parties, China's official Xinhuanews agency reported Friday. Yamaguchi handed over a letter from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in which Abe said he wanted to advance the relationship between the two countries. Relations were strained after the Japanese government's purchase in September of three of the disputed Senkaku Islands from a private owner sparked anti-Japan protests in dozens of Chinese cities and a boycott of Japanese products. Abe said in the letter that the Japan-China relationship was one of his country's most important bilateral issues. Xi said the two nations should deal with sensitive issues in a timely manner and effectively. He said Tokyo must respect the feelings of the Chinese people. The Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands, in the East China Sea, are also claimed by China and Taiwan, where they are known as the Diaoyutai and Tiaoyutai, respectively.
