The Asahi Shimbun reported on September 29, 2017, that Japan's prime Minister Shinzo Abe started a new diplomatic offensive towards China by attending China's national Day reception at a hotel in Tokyo on September 28, hotel to celebrate China's  National Day on October 1 and  the 45th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China relations on Sept. 29, 1972. In his speech, when Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua was present, Abe invited Xi Jinping to visit Japan in 2018 and also expressed his desire to visit China next year. He said he would hold a Tokyo-Beijing-Seoul tripartite summit in Japan later this year.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono also said in his speech, “I also want to visit China as early as possible and discuss concrete measures for bilateral cooperation.” Taro Kono is considering visiting China as early as in November.

 

(Comment: It was the first time in 15 years that a Japanese prime minister has attended the ceremony at a Tokyo hotel to celebrate China’s National Day on Oct. 1. It was also the first time for Abe to attend as prime minister.)