URGENT: Japan, China agree to build constructive, stable ties: PM Kishida

Japan and China have agreed to build "constructive and stable" relations based on "mutual benefit," despite existing difficulties, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday after meeting with President Xi Jinping.

During the meeting, Kishida urged China to immediately lift an import ban on Japanese seafood imposed following the release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. The leaders agreed on the need for expert consultations on the issue from a "scientific" standpoint, he added.

Kishida also called on China to release Japanese nationals detained in the country, while saying that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is critically important for Japan and the world.

© Kyodo News