Japan wants better relationship with China

TOKYO - Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said, this year marks the 40th anniversary of normalization of Japan-China diplomatic ties, and Japan is looking forward to carrying out extensive exchange and cooperation with China, in its annual report on diplomacy released on Friday.

Japan's Diplomatic Blue Book 2012, an annual report on Japan's foreign policy, said the relationship between Japan and China fell into the bottom after the Japanese coast guard vessels collided with Chinese fishing boat in September 2010. The two sides have worked very hard to improve the relationship since last year.

The report also gives an overview of Japanese foreign policy in 2011 which said Japan needed to strengthen the decades-long security alliance with the United States. Japan had begun negotiating with the US about relocation of US airbase to ease the burden of Okinawa Prefecture.

It said the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear and missile development programs may threaten global and regional security, and that Japan will cooperate with related countries closely to achieve the goal of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.