Beijing, Oct 25 (IANS): Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Beijing on Thursday on a three-day official trip, the first state visit to China by a Japanese leader in seven years.
Abe was scheduled to meet Chinese Premier Li Keqiang later in the day. He will then attend a reception to mark 40 years since the Japan-China peace and friendship treaty took effect, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Japanese leader will meet China's President Xi Jinping on Friday.
Abe told reporters before he left Tokyo that he wanted to reaffirm cooperation on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and resolving the abductions of Japanese nationals.
Japan maintains that at least 17 of its nationals were abducted by North Korean agents during the 1970s and 80s. Only 5 of them have returned.
Abe also said he wanted to discuss strengthening free and fair trade and promoting peace and cooperation in the East China Sea.