A Japanese senior official said in Beijing Sunday that Japan attaches importance on its relations with Asian countries, China in particular, and spoke highly of President Hu Jintao's proposal on promoting development of China-Japan ties.  

"Only by keeping sound relations with other countries across the world, especially the neighboring countries, can Japan subsist, develop and maintain prosperity," said Yamazaki Taku, assistant to the Japanese prime minister, quoted by a Chinese Foreign Ministry official.

Japan will continue to adhere to the three cornerstone political documents it signed with China, stick to the one-China policy, and properly handle the history issue, he said during a meeting with Vice Premier Huang Ju.

"Japan will work with China to push the steady development of Japan-China relations in the long run," he said.

President Hu made a five-point proposal for the improvement of the relations between China and Japan during his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on the sidelines of the Asian-African Summit in Jakarta last month.

The proposal emphasized dialogue, exchange and cooperation between the two countries, especially when they are facing difficulties in bilateral ties, urging Japan to abide by the political documents that serve as the basis of their diplomatic ties and to properly handle the issues concerning history and Taiwan.

"The five-point proposal is the principle and general aim for developing China-Japan relations, which shows China's sincerity on improving and promoting relations with Japan," Huang said.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Chinese people's victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Huang said the two countries should take the opportunity to properly handle major issues including those concerning history and Taiwan for the improvement and healthy and steady development of bilateral relations.

China-Japan relations were recently shrouded by some Japanese right-wing forces' activities aimed at whitewashing Japan's war crimes in World War II, especially those committed in the invasion to China, and supporting the so-called "Taiwan independence."

The two countries normalized diplomatic ties in 1972 and signed three political documents -- the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement in 1972, the Peace and Friendship Treaty in 1978 and the Sino-Japanese Joint Declaration in 1998 -- to guide the development of their relations.

Trade and investment between the two countries surged since then.

From 1993 to 2004, Japan remained as China's largest trading partner and China was Japan's second largest export destination, Chinese statistics show.

(Xinhua News Agency May 8, 2005)