China-Japan ties are at their worst situation in the past four decades, but the two countries cannot be against each other and must improve relations, a senior Japanese political figure said Saturday.
When Toshihiro Soejima, director of Genron NPO, began his annual fund-raising efforts for the Beijing-Tokyo forum this year, he said he had "worries that we won't be supported by companies" this year.
The economic and financial cooperation between China and Japan should not be affected by the Diaoyu Islands disputes, experts urged at the ongoing Beijing-Tokyo Forum on Saturday.
A former Chinese Ambassador to Japan Saturday said returning to the "very beginning point" of the normalization of China-Japan ties could be the only way out for deadlocked bilateral relations.
Japanese Ambassador to China Masato Kitera expressed deep concerns about the strained relationship between China and Japan when he was addressing the opening ceremony of Beijing-Tokyo Forum on Saturday.
China and Japan should rebuild faith to overcome difficulties and strive for sound bilateral ties and the peaceful development of East Asia.
The 9th Beijing-Tokyo Forum opened on Saturday with the theme of "peaceful development of East Asia and the mutual responsibilities of Japan and China".
Yasushi Akashi, former undersecretary of the United Nations, called for Japan and China to work together in establishing a crisis management system to reduce misunderstanding and bring intense bilateral relations to track
The 9th Beijing-Tokyo Forum will be held from Oct 25 to Oct 27 in Beijing.
A drastic "mutual distrust" against each nation's defense policy is fueling the deadlock in China-Japan relations, a senior expert said.
China Daily Tokyo Bureau Chief Cai Hong interviewed Noboru Yamaguchi, professor of the National Defense Academy of Japan. He is a retired lieutenant general of Japan's ground self-defense force.
Despite the stalemate in political ties between China and Japan, economic relations of the two Asian economies have improved this year compared with the second half of last year.