| Summary/Abstract |
With Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to Japan in May 2018, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to China in October 2018, and President Xi Jinping’s attendance at theG20 Osaka Summit in June this year, China-Japan relations have moved out of the bottom and onto the normal track of growth. Before the Chinese Ambassador Cheng Yonghua recently finished his term of office in Japan, he was invited to a luncheon at Prime Minister Abe’s residence on April 16th. On May 7th, Prime Minister and Mrs Abe, former prime ministers Yoshiro Mori and Fukuda Yasuo, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai, Komeito Party Leader Natsuo Yamaguchi were among the nearly 1,000 Japanese guests from all walks of life at Ambassador Cheng’s farewell reception. On May 9th, Ambassador Cheng was the first foreign guest received by the new emperor of Japan. Through such unusual moves, the Japanese government sent a clear signal of its willingness to improve relations with China. The foreign ministries of the two countries are reportedly consulting on Prime Minister Abe’s another visit to China this year and President Xi Jinping’s upcoming official visit to Japan.
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