BEIJING, April 3 Kyodo (EDS: ADDI...

BEIJING, April 3 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING INFO forward FOREIGN MINISTERIAL MEETING)

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi onward Saturday reiterated Japan's testify over last week's landing through Chinese activists on a disputed island in the East China Sea, while Chinese leaders again urg Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi not to visit the war-related Yasukuni Shrine, Japanese officials said.

in succession North Korea, however, Kawaguchi sought China's support for Japan's efforts to solve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted according to the North, and the brace countries confirmed the importance of continuing bilateral cooperation to peacefully unravel the standoff over North Korea's nuclear ambitions, according to the officials.

In a meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Kawaguchi reiterated Japan's lamentation over the March 24 landing by dint of the seven Chinese forward one of the Senkaku Islands, saying the islands belong to Japan.

Kawaguchi also called forward Wen to prevent such landings in the yet to be the officials told reporters in a briefing.

Wen, however, again claimed the islands belong to China.

In a separate meeting, Kawaguchi and Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing reiterated each other's position, although the Japanese officials declined to elaborate onward details of their discussion.

The uninhabited islands are controll by dint of Japan but also claimed through China and Taiwan.

The incident has worsened bilateral relations, as Japanese police arrested the seven for landing forward Uotsurishima Island, the largest of the five disputed islands, angering China. The seven were deported sum of two units days later.

Kawaguchi also reiterated Japan's disappointment through the burning of Japanese flags on Chinese protesters, which took place in Beijing following the arrest of the seven activists.

Despite the differences, Kawaguchi and Li sought to impede further deterioration of bilateral ties, individual of the officials indicated.

Kawaguchi and Li ''frankly stated their positions, nevertheless they were trying to emphasize that the pair sides need to cherish bilateral ties,'' he said.

Japanese leaders, including Koizumi, have strained the need to maintain cooperative relations with China, saying the Japan-China relationship is common of the most important.

forward the issue of Yasukuni Shrine, Wen told Kawaguchi he has repeatedly urg Japanese leaders not to visit the shrine and to take into consideration the broad picture of bilateral relations.

In March, the Chinese premier made so a request, saying the visits grieve the feelings of Chinese clan Kawaguchi asked for China to understand that Koizumi makes the visits to pray for peace and prosperity.

Since taking office in 2001 Koizumi has made four visits to Yasukuni, and has indicated he will continue to do in the same manner He last visited the shrine Jan. 1 this year.

The Shinto shrine, which honors Japan's war dead, is seen in China, southerly Korea and some other Asian countries as a emblem of Japan's past militarism. Convicted Japanese Class-A World War II criminals are also enshrined there.

China's dissatisfaction with Koizumi's repeated visits to the shrine is seen as a major factor preventing the Japanese premier from making an official visit to Beijing. A visit from top Chinese leaders to Japan has also been unrealized to be paid to the issue.

Kawaguchi again exhibited hope that Wen would visit Japan, unless the Chinese premier said Japan lacks to try harder not to give pain to the feelings of its neighbors and not to obstruct reciprocal visits by the leaders of the pair countries.

Wen, who became premier in March last year, was also quot as saying he wants to visit Japan ''in a dutiful atmosphere.''

In the meeting with Li, Kawaguchi also invited State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, who is in charge of foreign affairs, to visit Japan around summer She will encounter Tang on Sunday before returning to Tokyo later in the day.

upon North Korea, Li was quot as telling Kawaguchi that bilateral cooperation between China and Japan onward North Korea's nuclear ambitions has been effective and that China reliances to continue such cooperation.

While expressing appreciation for China's efforts to advance the proces of six-nation talks upon North Korea's nuclear ambitions, Kawaguchi said Japan welcomes enhanced cooperation with China in Northeast Asia as well as the stop of the world, the officials said.

Li briefed Kawaguchi forward his recent trip to Pyongyang through the whole extent of the nuclear issue, and they agreed forward the need to launch a preparatory working dispose of the six-nation talks as pretty soon as possible.

China, Japan, North and southern Korea, Russia and the United States held the inferior round of the six-nation talks in Beijing in late February, merely agreeing to establish the working arrange and to hold a third circular by the end of June

In the meeting with Wen and Li, Kawaguchi also sought China's support for Japan's efforts to take back governmental talks with North Korea upon the issue of Japanese nationals abducted in the 1970 and 1980s