Jinan, China/Beijing, Dec 30, IRNA ,Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda played a game of catch with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Beijing on Saturday in an apparent symbolic move on the warming of their countries’ ties, a day after agreeing to build on recent improvements in relations, Kyodo reported.
Fukuda then visited a local elementary school, toured an economic development district and a factory of Toyota Motor Corp. in Tianjin and then flew to Jinan, to the southwest of Beijing, in the evening.
The Japanese leader, dressed in a white baseball uniform and a red cap prepared by the hosts, threw and caught baseballs in a gymnasium at Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guesthouse with Wen, clad in a red cap and a gray baseball uniform.
The event was squeezed into Fukuda’s schedule after he made a request to Wen in a light moment during their talks on Friday. Wen had replied that he wanted to make time for the game.
Wen, who has described himself as a baseball enthusiast, engaged in the sport with Ritsumeikan University students when he visited the ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto during his trip to the country in April.
Wen wore a Ritsumeikan uniform during the game with Fukuda on Saturday. The Chinese premier arrived in the gymnasium first, and warmed up by jogging.
The game between the two leaders — Fukuda is 71 years old, Wen is 65 — lasted about five minutes.
Fukuda, who missed some balls, remarked, ”I didn’t warm up enough. I would have got serious if I could have had 10 more pitches.” After the event, Wen said, ”Let’s do this again. ” Fukuda is on a four-day visit to China from Thursday. The trip is his first since taking office in late September.
A game of catch between the countries’ leaders would have been unthinkable two years ago, when relations were in a deep freeze due to then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s trips to the war- linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.
China was angered by the visits to Yasukuni, which enshrines 14 Class- A war criminals along with the war dead.
Relations have improved since Fukuda’s predecessor Shinzo Abe made a visit to China in October 2006, and Wen followed up with a visit to Japan in April.
Before leaving the Chinese capital Saturday morning, Fukuda and his wife Kiyoko visited an elementary school that has been designated to cheer for Japan during next summer’s Beijing Olympics, and were met by about 100 pupils who said in Japanese, ”We welcome your visit from our hearts.”
”The Japanese team is lucky to be able to receive cheers from such lovely children,” Fukuda said.
In Tianjin, Fukuda met and had lunch with municipal officials before touring the city while Toyota adviser Hiroshi Okuda and Katsuaki Watanabe, president of the automaker, accompanied him during his visit to the firm’s factory.
In Jinan, the Japanese leader was hosted at a dinner by top officials of Shandong Province and other local officials.
Meanwhile, Chinese newspapers gave front-page treatment to Fukuda’s talks with Wen on Friday.
”China, Japan reach new agreement on the East China Sea issue,” said a headline in the Beijing Youth Daily.
”Hu Jintao meets with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda,” the People’s Daily said in its headline.
Fukuda and top Chinese leaders agreed in their talks on Friday to enhance bilateral relations and reaffirmed their plan for President Hu Jintao to visit Japan next spring.