China and Japan need to move their relations forward

Then-Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe attended the second forum in Tokyo in 2006, telling China his good intention to break the deadlock in the relationship. His words fell on China's ears. Abe replaced Koizumi as Japan's prime minister shortly after the forum and paid a surprise visit to Beijing, dubbed as an ice-breaking trip.

Again, issues such as history and territorial dispute have been drags on relations in recent years, leaving nothing but a new vacuum in the official relationship.

"The forum has kept filling this vacuum and opening a new non-governmental dialogue that addresses the issues straining the relations between the two countries," Kudo said.

Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida was present at the 10th forum on Sept 28, speaking highly of the non-governmental platform. More important, he told his audience that the Sino-Japan relationship is one of the most important of Japan's bilateral relations.

In his address at the Japanese parliament's extraordinary session that convened on Sept 30, Abe expressed willingness to improve ties with Japan's neighbors. He talked about dialogue.

"To build stable and amicable relations between Japan and China, which have a great responsibility for regional peace and prosperity, I'd like to realize summit talks at an early date and further mutually beneficial relations based on common interests through dialogue," Abe said.

People are waiting to see that he will be as good as his words.

Zhao Qizheng of Renmin University of China is one of the few participants who has attended all the Beijing-Tokyo Forum's meetings in the past decade. He said he was impressed by the way the discussions were done at the forum.

"The participants were strangers at the beginning and have become friends now. Our friendship has lived on even though we fell over the sensitive issues," Zhao said.

At the 10th forum convening on Sept 28-29, consensus was reached that more communication should be done.

Ichiro Aisawa, a lower house member from the Liberal Democratic Party, recommended that lawmakers from the two countries resume making exchange visits this fall.