Asia, China-japan Relations | featured news

The mayor of a Japanese city has sparked outrage after playing down a well-documented massacre of civilians in China's former capital more than 70 years ago.

Japan needs to focus on the rise of China and not the Cold War threat of Russia in defining its security goals, according to new defense guidelines announced Friday.

The leaders of China and Japan sought to ease months of tensions on Saturday, while Beijing gave Japan reassurances over worries about a drying-up of rare earth exports and a dispute over gas fields.

Thousands of protesters marched through Tokyo on Saturday to demonstrate against what they called China's invasion of disputed islands that both countries claim.

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has told his Japanese counterpart Naoto Kan that a disputed stretch of islands in the East China Sea belonged to China, state media said.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan rejected China’s demand that Tokyo apologize for the arrest of a Chinese trawler captain.

China demands an apology from Japan following the return of a fishing boat captain who was detained for two weeks.

Prosecutors in Japan said Friday they would release the captain of a Chinese fishing vessel whose detention after a collision set off a dispute between the two nations.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao threatened more steps against Japan unless it releases a trawler captain Tokyo accuses of deliberating colliding with a Japanese coastguard ship near disputed islands.

Japan urged China to remain calm and not inflame their diplomatic spat further Monday after Beijing severed high-level contacts over the detention of a Chinese fishing boat captain near disputed islands.