Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda visited Beijing on Sunday and Monday for the first time as prime minister and met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and President Hu Jintao. It was the first Japanese prime minister's official visit to China since the Democratic Party of Japan came to power.
Mr. Hu shared a rather close stance with Mr. Noda on North Korea after the death of its leader Kim Jong Il. But Mr. Noda failed to have Mr. Hu offer progress in the joint development of natural gas resources in the East China Sea — an issue Japan is interested in. The talks on the issue has hit a snag following a Chinese fishing boat's ramming two Japanese Coast Guard ships near Japan's Senkaku Islands in September 2010.
Mr. Noda was originally scheduled to visit China on Dec. 12 and 23. But his visit eventually took place after Kim's death. It provided an important chance for Japanese and Chinese leaders to exchange opinions on North Korea.