May 8, 2008

Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo and Chinese President Hu Jintao on May 7 held talks at the Prime Minister’s Official Resident in Tokyo, and later issued a joint statement on “promoting a mutually beneficial strategic relationship” and continuing to "explore a new phase of bilateral relations by squarely facing history."

In the statement, Fukuda and Hu confirmed that the two countries share a heavy responsibility for the development of peace in the Asia-Pacific region and the rest of the world.

It states that, in the long term, cooperation for peace and friendship is the only option for Japan and China.

The two leaders agreed to:

(1) Regular visits between leaders of the two nations to enhance mutual political trust;
(2) Strengthen exchanges by people of the two countries to increase friendship between the two peoples;
(3) Strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation;
(4) Contribute to the Asia-Pacific region;
(5) Contribute to global tasks.

The joint statement was the fourth such document, following the Japan-China Joint Communiqué in 1972, the Japan-China Peace and Amity Treaty in August 1978, and the Japan-China Joint Declaration in November 1998.

Hu Jintao was in Japan on a state visit from May 6-10. The visit to Japan of a Chinese president was the first in 10 years, the previous being by the President Jiang Zemin in November 1998. -Akahata, May 8, 2008