The communist parties of Japan and China announced Thursday they have agreed to restore ties severed 31 years ago.
In Tokyo, Tetsuzo Fuwa, chief of the Japanese Communist Party, said he will visit Beijing for a meeting with Chinese President Jiang Zemin in late July or early August.
In Beijing, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that the two parties agreed that "any issues left over from history between the two parties have been resolved by and large." The report implies that the Chinese Communist Party, which cut its ties with the JCP in 1967 when they refused to accept the utopian dogma ordered by then-leader Mao Zedong, had acknowledged mistakes. The two parties severed ties following the start of China's Cultural Revolution.
The agreement was reached at a series of meetings in Beijing from Monday to Wednesday. Fuwa told a news conference that he welcomes the agreement and wants to pay respect for the sincere political decision by the Chinese leaders. "The Chinese Communist Party has recognized its fault in the past that led to severing relations," Fuwa said. "We would like to welcome its sincere attitude and high political decision."