A group of Japanese lawmakers spoke Thursday with Chinese President Jiang Zemin, the first to meet Jiang since Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's controversial visit last month to Yasukuni Shrine.
During the talks at the Great Hall of the People, Jiang and members of the parliamentary league for Japanese-Chinese relations exchanged views on mending bilateral ties.
Relations soured following Koizumi's visit Aug. 13 to Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Class A war criminals along with the nation's war dead.
Koizumi has offered to visit China to mend ties ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit to be held in Shanghai late this month.
However, a Chinese Foreign Ministry official said earlier that a visit by Koizumi before the summit would be unlikely "without preparatory work."
Beijing has called on Tokyo to address bilateral problems before holding a summit.
The eight-member group, led by former Finance Minister Yoshiro Hayashi, includes lawmakers from the Liberal Democratic Party, New Conservative Party and New Komeito as well as the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan.
Jiang was scheduled to meet a visiting business mission Friday headed by Takashi Imai, chairman of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren). Imai was expected to present a personal letter from Koizumi to Jiang.