Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and Chinese President Jiang Zemin agreed Wednesday on the need for Japan and North Korea to establish diplomatic ties, a Japanese official said.
Mori and Jiang, who met for 30 minutes in what was described as a cordial atmosphere, also agreed to establish a "friendly and cooperative partnership" between Japan and China, the official told reporters.
Mori asked Jiang for support in negotiations between Japan and North Korea to establish diplomatic ties, and the Chinese president, who has close ties with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, signaled that he would oblige, the official said.
Japanese and North Korean officials held their second round of normalization talks in Japan last month and agreed to meet in October.