'Good prospects' for China-Japan ties

Overall relations between China and Japan will advance despite some problems, said a leading member of Japan's ruling Democratic Party.

"There are only a few Japanese" who don't want to see friendship between the two neighbors, said Satsuki Eda, a member of Diet, Japan's legislature.

"The general public supports improved relations between Japan and China, therefore I am confident about the prospects for the development of bilateral relations," Eda said.

Last month, Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara said that his prefecture was negotiating with the "owner" of the Diaoyu Islands in the hope of "buying them by the end of this year".

Media reports said his emotional remarks and moves have overshadowed bilateral ties.

"This is a very unwise move, and does not represent the position of the Japanese government. I think he (Ishihara) simply intended to make a sensational impact by doing that, which does not benefit the final settlement of the issue," Eda said.

Regarding complicated issues between Japan and China that cannot be solved in the short term, Eda said the best way is to shelve them, because any dispute that keeps simmering would probably hamper bilateral ties.

"Currently, the most important task for the two countries is to build a new strategic relationship, and quarrels are not conducive to resolving any problems," he said.

Eda is on his four-day visit to China for the 2012 Understanding and Cooperation Dialogue held by the China Association for International Understanding.