China is expected to watch carefully how Japan's former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, who won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election Wednesday, will develop diplomacy toward the neighbor amid souring bilateral relations.
Chilly ties with South Korea will also be tested under Kishida, who is set to become prime minister in early October, but a quick improvement is unlikely, South Korean media says.
As next year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic ties, Kishida has affirmed the importance of holding summit talks with China.