About 100 experts from China and Japan on Friday called for the reintroduction of dialogue between the two countries and for talks to be held regularly at a two-day forum on bilateral relations in Beijing amid strained ties.
The forum, held ahead of Monday's 45th anniversary of the enactment of a bilateral treaty of peace and friendship, urged in a joint statement that the two Asian neighbors work together to ensure peace and security in the region.
It also called on the two countries to "deal with concerns" stemming from the release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, which began in late August.
The Chinese government opposes the discharge and reacted angrily to the decision to go ahead with it alongside banning all seafood imports from Japan, with a large number of nuisance calls made to the Japanese embassy in China believed to have originated from within the country.
Japan's Ambassador to China Hideo Tarumi said in a speech recently that the embassy still receives some 15,000 calls every day, and stressed the need to settle bilateral rows by regaining mutual trust and reestablishing dialogue at various levels, including summit talks.
Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao said in a video message that the two countries need to "stop the worsening trend" of bilateral relations immediately and "appropriately manage" confrontations and differences to stabilize ties.
The annual talks were held in person for the first time in four years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the gathering was overshadowed by confirmation on Thursday that Chinese authorities formally arrested a Japanese businessman over espionage allegations.
Yasushi Kudo, head of the Japanese nonprofit think tank Genron NPO, which co-organized the event, said at the forum that Chinese people are not aware that many Japanese nationals are wary of visiting the neighboring country for fear of being detained. "Such a situation needs to be changed," he added.
