Chinese Executive Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo (R) is welcomed by his Japanese counterpart Shotaro Yachi (L) prior to their meeting at the Foreign Ministry's Iikura guesthouse in Tokyo. Japan and China began vice-ministerial level talks just a few days ahead of Japan's new administration, in a bid to seek ways to ease strained ties between the two Asian powers. (Photo: AFP)   Sept. 24 - China and Japan began vice-ministerial level talks in Tokyo just a few days ahead of Japan's new administration, in a bid to seek ways to ease strained ties between the two Asian powers.

 

Leading the two delegations are Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo and Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Yachi Shotaro. It was unknown whether Dai would meet with Shinzo Abe, newly elected president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

 

Yachi is expected to propose an early realisation of a bilateral summit between Japan's hawkish next prime minister Shinzo Abe and his Chinese counterpart.

 

"The talks are to end within the day but may be extended to Sunday depending on the development of the discussion," a Japanese official said.

 

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who inflamed China and South Korea for his repeated visits to a Tokyo war shrine, will step down on Tuesday.

 

Abe is certain to be appointed the next prime minister on the same day. Koizumi has not met formally with Chinese top leaders since April last year.

 

Abe, the chief cabinet secretary, is also a strong supporter of visits to the Yasukuni shrine, which honors war dead and war criminals and is seen by neighboring countries as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

 

But he has refused to say if he would go as prime minister and is reportedly seeking to arrange talks with China and South Korea.

 

China and Japan held talks in May, June and October of last year, and February and May this year, despite tension over Koizumi's repeated visits to the war shrine.