The leaders of Japan and China met here today. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese President Hu Jintao smiled and shook hands before sitting down to begin the talks, which were closed to the media. The meeting is the first top-level discussion since massive anti-Japanese protests erupted earlier this month in major Chinese cities over Tokyo's approval of school textbooks that China claims play down wartime atrocities. It comes a day after Koizumi offered the most public apology in a decade for Japan's wartime aggression in Asia. Saturday's meeting took place on the sidelines of a summit for Asian and African leaders in Jakarta. Koizumi told reporters during a brief visit to the tsunami-hit province of Aceh that he hoped to stress the importance of amiable Japan-China relations during his meeting with Hu. "There is a saying: 'To turn misfortune into a blessing.' All countries have confrontations, but in the long-term it is in both countries' interests to overcome confrontation and to expand friendly relations," he said. "At the meeting, I would like us to share the recognition that friendly Japan-China relations are important." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said Beijing believed that good ties with Japan were vital. "We attach emphasis on developing neighboring, friendly and cooperative relations with Japan," he said. "We hope leaders of the two countries can ... eliminate the negative impacts created by Japan's erroneous actions so that Sino-Japanese relations can move forward smoothly on a healthy foundation."
