By tapping into the future generation, Niwa also placed high hopes on open-minded young students to project a positive role in promoting benign Japan-China ties.

"It is inevitable that neighboring countries like us (China and Japan) slumped into occasional quarrels, but the next generation should seek to take up the responsibility for a lasting friendship," Niwa said as he addressed the Nanjing Foreign Language School, after chatting with some Chinese students in Japanese.

Having served as an economic consultant for Jiangsu for five years, the ambassador noted Japan values its relationship with the province, which is home to the second largest group of Japanese businessmen in China after Shanghai.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said on Tuesday that China welcomes the visit as an effort to enhance communication between Japanese and the Chinese at a regional and local level.

Sino-Japan relations have been rocky since Japanese authorities illegally detained the captain of a Chinese trawler in waters off China's Diaoyu Islands in September.

Situations got even more complicated after a defense guideline was approved by Japan on Dec 17 that reoriented its national security toward China.

This was followed by a resolution by the council of Sakishima City in Okinawa to designate Jan 14 as "Senkaku Islands Day", as a move to underline Japan's territorial claims.

Liu Jiangyong, an expert on Japan studies at Tsinghua University, said Niwa's visit is best positioned to strengthen ties with relevant governmental organs in China, which facilitates boosting bilateral trade.

But Niwa's endeavor in resetting soured bilateral political relations will be limited, given the clashes over a range of issues from territorial disputes to security concerns, Liu noted.