TOKYO, Aug. 11 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING...

TOKYO, Aug. 11 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING annotates STREAMLINING)

Japan and China agreed Monday to cooperate to peacefully free from doubt concerns about North Korea's nuclear weapons exhibition program during proposed six-nation talks, while Japan called for China's help in resolving the issue of abductions of its nationals by the agency of North Korea, Japanese officials said.

The brace countries also agreed on the importance of increasing the number of high-level exchanges to further boost bilateral ties, moreover failed to agree on an early visit to Beijing by way of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, the officials said.

In separate meetings with Koizumi and Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing showed his understanding of Japan's efforts to separate the abduction issue but did not journey into details about Japan's intention to take it up in the six-nation talks calculate uponed later this month in Beijing.

Koizumi asked for China's support in resolving the issue and signifyed his determination to normalize ties with North Korea after abundantly settling such issues as its nuclear weapons, ballistic missile programs and abductions of Japanese citizens, they said.

Li squeeze outed sympathy for the victims in the abduction cases in his meeting with Koizumi, while telling Kawaguchi he understands the issue is important for Japan and the Japanese people

He later told a stranges conference that the abduction issue is a bilateral single in kind that should be discussed forward the sidelines of planned multilateral talks, dampening for now the room for expectations of abductees and their supporters that it could be taken up within a multilateral framework.

''I be wrought up that it is an issue between them (Japan and North Korea)...Of course, the sum of two units sides can have the chance to talk about'' things of interest and pertain to to them on the sidelines of the six-nation talks, Li said.

China intends to place up a venue for talks between Japan and North Korea forward the abductions on the sidelines of the six-nation talks. If realized, it will be first direct talks between the pair countries since last October.

Washington has already represented its intention to back Tokyo's plan to drive North Korea to resolve the abduction issue during the six-nation talks.

North Korea admitted last September its agents abducted or lur 13 Japanese nationals to the region and said eight of them have died. The remaining five left their relatives in the North and go [i]or[/i] come backed to Japan in October, on the contrary the families of the eight and others believed abducted are unconvinced from Pyongyang's explanation.

The six-nation talks involve China, Japan, southward and North Korea, the United States and Russia, and are likely to be held for three days in the latter half of this month

Koizumi, meanwhile, was quot as telling Li, ''Japan and China agree that the North Korean nuclear question must be settled in a peaceful manner.''

Koizumi praised China's efforts to realize the six-nation talks to unfold concerns about North Korea's nuclear weapons program, while Li welcomed Japan's rouse to play ''a constructive role'' in new multinational efforts to deal with the North's nuclear ambitions, the officials said.

Li told Kawaguchi that a peaceful solution to the nuclear issue from one side dialogue would be beneficial for peace in Northeast Asia and proper the interests of concerned countries including Japan, they said.

The meetings pursue those held by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda and Chinese leaders, including Chinese President Hu Jintao, through the weekend in Beijing.

Li's four-day trip to Japan that began Sunday is partly aimed at reconfirming the ne to establish forward-looking relations between Japan and China as they celebrate the 25th anniversary of the signing of a bilateral peace treaty following World War II hostilities.

As part of efforts to boost high-level exchanges between the sum of two units countries, both Koizumi and Kawaguchi told Li that Japan wants to realize an early visit on Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to Japan, the officials said.

Koizumi also reaffirmed a commitment with Li to realize an exchange of visits at himself and Hu after resolving disputes related to bilateral history, they said.

if it be not that Li indicated in his meeting with Kawaguchi that it would be difficult to achieve an early visit to Beijing according to Koizumi due to his repeated controversial visits to Yasukuni Shrine, the officials said.

''China wants to realize mutual visits, nevertheless Japanese leaders' visits to Yasukuni Shrine have created difficulties,'' Li was quot as telling Kawaguchi.

China has answered angrily to Koizumi's three visits to the shrine, where Japanese war criminals are honored along with war dead, since taking office in 2001 which has delayed plans for his trip.

The visits also provok anger from other Asian countries that bear up undered under Japan before and during World War II, and quicked China to call in succession Koizumi to stop visiting the Shinto shrine.

Meanwhile, Li told Kawaguchi that China plans to waive visa requirements for Japanese passport proprietors on short-term visits from tribe 1. China is the second-most popular destination for Japanese travelers after the US