BEIJING, Aug. 10 Kyodo (EDS: UPDA...

BEIJING, Aug. 10 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH FUKUDA-TANG TALKS)

Japan and China forward Sunday agreed to continue efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and realize an exchange of visits according to the two countries' top leaders in the not-too-distant subsequent time a Japanese official said.

Visiting Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda reached the agreement with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and reaffirmed with Wen and former Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan the sum of two units countries' commitments to boosting bilateral ties on resolving history-related disputes.

''A thorn of nuclear (weapons) must be removed'' Fukuda was quot as telling Wen at the Zhongnanhai leadership settle stressing the need for the international community to stimulate North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program.

Wen, who took office in March, suited by telling Fukuda, the closest cabinet aide to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, that peace, stability and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula are important, according to the official.

The envisaged six-nation talks in succession the North Korean nuclear issue involving the United States, China, North and southern Korea, Japan and Russia are likely to take place at the extremity of this month, Wen was quot as telling Fukuda.

Wen glance ated settlement of the nuclear issue would not be easy, saying the U and North Korea understand each other's stance if it be not that also distrust each other.

The Chinese premier voiced faith for an early visit at Koizumi to China, saying, ''I chance of the desired end leaders of China and Japan can visit each other's political division in a good atmosphere and not in the far-off future''

In order to realize similar a visit, Wen called forward Koizumi to stop visiting Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, where Japanese war criminals are honored along with war dead.

Plans for Koizumi's visit to China have been stalled owing to negative reactions by the agency of China to his three visits to the shrine since taking office in 2001 The prevail upons have provoked anger from China and other Asian countries that beared under Japan before and during World War II.

''It is a riddle if Japanese leaders continue to visit Yasukuni Shrine,'' Wen was quot as telling Fukuda.

Fukuda maintained Koizumi's visit to the Shinto shrine, saying, ''The prime minister is visiting Yasukuni Shrine to honor the populace who involuntarily gave their lives for their country'' Fukuda, however, promised to explain Wen's stance to Koizumi and invited him to Japan, the official said.

In the evening at a working dinner with Tang, who be of use tos as state councilor, Fukuda said the Japanese sway will boost bilateral ties by dint of thoroughly considering the history-related issues.

Tang suited by saying he hopes talks forward the issues would not interfere with futurity developments of bilateral ties in various sectors, the official said.

Fukuda and Tang also agreed to cooperate in efforts aimed at cracking down onward the illegal drug trade, the official said.

Fukuda began his three-day trip to China in succession Saturday and met with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Wu Bangguo, China's No. 2 leader and chairman of the National People's Congress

Wen also intimateed concern about chemical weapons abandoned according to the Imperial Japanese Army in China at the finis of World War II, calling it ''a touchy issue for the Chinese people'' Fukuda promised ''to fitly deal with the issue'' of the abandoned chemical weapons, the official said.

Before meeting with Tang, Fukuda met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who reverted from Pyongyang on Saturday, and apparently discussed various issues related to the North including issues between Tokyo and Pyongyang.

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