Chinese president visits Japan this week, both sides looking to solidify warming relations

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"There are a number of contentious issues in the Japan-China relationship," said David Satterwhite, executive director of the Fulbright Program in Japan and a specialist in Northeast Asian politics. "However, it is not in the interest of either nation for those issues ... to get in the way of a much warmer relationship in the longer term."

Ties began plummeting in 1998 when Chinese President Jiang Zemin traveled to Tokyo expecting an apology over Japan's often brutal 1931-1945 occupation of much of China. Rebuffed, Jiang lectured Japanese politicians about China's historical grievances.

Relations chilled as a more assertive Japanese government charted a more aggressive defense and foreign policy course for Japan, even as other countries in the region began to accommodate China's rising clout.

Meanwhile, economic ties between the two have thrived, with Japanese businesses finding China a huge new market for exports. Trade reached US$237 billion (170 billion) last year, according to Chinese statistics.

Japanese officials suggested the two would attempt to avoid the kind of clash that spoiled Jiang's trip.

"If you see the current relationship ... I don't think the historical issue is one we have to tackle now," a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said on condition of anonymity, citing protocol.

Japan was also hoping to boost cooperation on security issues another long-standing point of friction while defusing the gas dispute.

"There are a wide range of issues to talk about, not only Japan-China relations but also peace and stability and economy in the region, and I hope we can exchange views from a broad perspective," Fukuda told Japanese reporters.

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