Yasuo Fukuda is in Beijing, where the Japanese PM is hoping to solidify improved relations between two countries with a troubled past. In contrast to his two predecessors, Fukuda is a pro-Asian leader; as he reminds his Chinese hosts, his own father brought in the Japan-China peace treaty 29 years ago, Bloomberg reports.
"We hope to turn the East China Sea into a sea of peace and stability," said a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry. China is relieved to have a friendly Japanese leader ahead of the Olympics, especially after the angry tenure of Junichiro Koizumi, whose veneration of dead Japanese war criminals infuriated Beijing. Fukuda has been more accommodating: his government gave the Dalai Lamaa chilly reception, and Fukuda is offering China billions in environmental aid. (More Yasuo Fukuda stories.)