Scholars from Japan and China met in Tokyo on Monday over joint historical research, aiming to narrow difference between the two countries on historical issues.

 

The Chinese delegation is led by Bu Ping, director of the Institute of Modern History at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, while the Japanese team is headed by Shinichi Kitaoka, professor of University of Tokyo. The project involves 10 researchers and scholars from each side.

 

After the agreement between leaders of the two countries, China and Japan decided to conduct joint history study, which is closely related with the improvement of bilateral ties, Bu said at the opening ceremony of the two-day meeting.

 

The study is aimed to find agreement in each side's perception of history, and analyze the differences, Bu said. He hoped the two sides will work together and submit a research report in June 2008.

 

The two sides held their first meeting in December in Beijing, when they agreed to work to shrink the gap in their perceptions of history, Kitaoka said. He also expected the meeting can be fruitful.

 

According to Kyodo News, the academics met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe later in the day. Abe was quoted as saying it is "important" to unravel the long history between Japan and China "based on objective facts and pursuing academic methods."

 

At December's meeting, the two sides settled the work process, scope and topics for joint research, and discussed the 2,000 years of history of China-Japan exchanges and modern and post-World War II history in two groups.

 

(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2007)