The head of the junior partner in Japan's ruling coalition on Thursday handed Chinese President Xi Jinping a letter from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and invited him to visit Tokyo around spring.
Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of the Komeito party, briefly met with Xi in a group with other political leaders who visited Beijing to attend an economic development conference organized by the Chinese Communist Party.
Yamaguchi told reporters that during a short conversation with Xi he also conveyed Abe's willingness to hold talks with the president next month on the sidelines of economic and regional summits.