Japan and China marked the 50th anniversary of normalization of their ties Thursday as their leaders Fumio Kishida and Xi Jinping stressed the importance of their strengthened relationship over the decades, though they still face difficulties.
On Sept. 29, 1972, then-Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai signed a communique normalizing their ties and pledging peace and friendship. In the communique, Japan expressed remorse over wartime damage on China and acknowledged Beijing as the country's only legitimate government.
