A flurry of developments on Thursday and Friday suggested relations are on the mend with Beijing and Seoul after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe invited the Chinese leader to visit Japan and his South Korean counterpart said she is open to bilateral talks, the first since she and Abe took office.
Separately, Abe was quoted as saying he will "definitely" meet with both President Park Geun-hye and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang one-on-one when he visits Seoul for a trilateral summit on Nov. 1.
"I will hold a summit with China and with South Korea when I visit South Korea," Abe told former Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura, in comments Kawamura relayed to reporters.