Money and power are combining to create a tentative thaw in the relationship between Asia's two biggest economies.
After more than two years of tensions, Chinese President Xi Jinping is making a careful rapprochement with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has long called for improved ties. Whether it lasts depends much on what Abe says in August about his country's wartime past.
A number of factors have spurred the shift. China's economic growth is slowing while Japan, a big investor, is sending less money in. And Xi has consolidated enough power within the Communist Party and military to take a softer stance on a longtime foe with less risk of a backlash at home.