Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and Chinese President Hu Jintao agreed Wednesday to make 2008 the year for boosting their nations' "mutually beneficial" relationship, as Tokyo hosted the first Chinese leader to visit in 10 years.
The previous visit, made by Jiang Zemin in 1998, saw Japan criticized for its wartime invasion of China.
In a joint statement issued by Fukuda and Hu, Japan and China agreed simply to "squarely face history and move toward the future." No specific mention was made of the history issues that have badly strained bilateral ties in recent years.