Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko has met with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Laos.
They talked for about 50 minutes on Friday on the sidelines of ASEAN-related foreign ministers’ meetings in the Laotian capital of Vientiane.
It was the first meeting between the two since they met last November in the South Korean city of Busan.
At the beginning of the meeting, Kamikawa said Japan and China share many possibilities while facing unresolved issues.
She underscored the need for the two countries to continue dialogue in a multi-layered and persistent way as they coexist as neighbors and members of the international community.
The details of the meeting have yet to be disclosed.
Kamikawa is believed to have called for an end to China’s suspension of Japanese seafood imports. China took the measure in response to Japan’s discharge of treated and diluted water into the sea from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The Japanese minister is also thought to have conveyed her country’s positions on matters of bilateral concern.
The issues include the removal of a buoy placed by China in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, the early release of Japanese nationals being detained in China and the situation in the East China Sea, including the Senkaku Islands. Japan controls the islands. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan’s territory. China and Taiwan claim them.
Japan is seeking to build stable relations with China, which it shares strong economic ties with, through continued dialogue by senior government and ruling parties’ officials.