hour talks. "Japan and China need each other now more than ever before." Hu said differences between the countries needed to be resolved through dialogue. Japan also needed to meet its commitment not to support independence for Taiwan, which China regards as a renegade province, Hu added. There have been violent anti-Japan demonstrations in China over school history textbooks that critics say sugarcoat Japan's wartime history and over other irritants, including Tokyo's campaign for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. Beijing says 35 million Chinese were killed or wounded during Japan's 1931-45 occupation of much of the country. The two leaders shook hands as they met in a hotel ballroom. Koizumi used both hands and appeared relaxed while Hu was stiff and expressionless. When they sat opposite each other at a long table, Koizumi told Hu about his trip earlier in the day to the tsunami-hit province of Aceh. "I went to Aceh province today ... I saw that a roof of a two-storey building had been destroyed by the tsunami and realised how tall the waves were," Koizumi said before reporters were ushered out of the room. China launched a campaign to cool down tempers this week. It sent veteran diplomats to give lectures on the benefits as well as the history of Sino-Japanese ties to Communist Party members and officials as well as university students, who were urged to focus on their studies.
