A cross-party group of Upper House lawmakers resumed exchanges with China's parliament for the first time in four years this week, in yet another sign of a general improvement in relations between the Asian powers.
However, the Japanese delegation visited Beijing on Monday at a diplomatically delicate time as the two countries take different positions on issues involving the South China Sea and North Korea, and this could be a source of new friction.
The highlight of the delegation's itinerary was a meeting with Zhang Dejiang, who ranks third in the Chinese Communist Party and is chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.