Senior officials of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito party met with officials of the Communist Party of China at a session of the Japan-China Ruling Parties Exchange Conference in Sendai on Aug. 9. They agreed to seek concrete cooperative measures regarding China’s “One Belt, One Road” economic initiative advocated by President Xi Jinping. They also agreed to hold working-level discussions by sending a group of Japanese government officials and business leaders to China. Japan called for China to play an active role in resolving the nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea.

The last session of the conference was held in Japan in February 2009. The attendees of Aug. 9 session included LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai, Komeito Secretary-General Yoshihisa Inoue, and Song Tao, the head of the international department of the Communist Party of China.