Hu made the remarks at a large reception organized by tourism authorities from the two countries to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between China and Japan.

The two sides should abide by the principle of taking history as a mirror and looking forward to the future in handling bilateral relations, said Hu, who is leading a 5,000-member tourism delegation to visit Japan.

Japan will also send a tourism delegation of 10,000 to China this autumn as part of a series of exchange programs launched by tourism authorities of the two countries.

Such tourism exchange programs will improve bilateral ties between China and Japan as well as friendship between the two peoples, Hu noted.

In his speeches, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi emphasized that it is important for China and Japan to overcome differences in a bid to better develop bilateral relations.

Koizumi pledged to make further efforts to develop the friendly neighboring relations between China and Japan.

More than 5,000 officials and tourists of the two countries, including former Japanese Prime Minister Rutaro Hashimoto and He Guangwei, director of Chinese State Tourism Administration, attended the reception and the following performances by artists from the two countries.

( May 10, 2002)