Japan had the upper hand when Shinzo Abe visited Beijing in October 2006 in his first stint as prime minister. China has since improved its position.

The world's second-largest economy, which leapfrogged Japan to take that rank in 2010, has jumped ahead in terms of gross domestic product growth and military spending.

Trade dependence has switched in China's favor, and visitor numbers are converging. While Japan remains dominant in direct investment flows, China's outbound spending is surging.