Fine food, wine accompany chat on boosting relations

Japanese Emperor Akihito and President Hu Jintao sipped champagne and dined on lobster and steamed perch in red wine on Wednesday at a welcome dinner held for the visiting Chinese leader at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

As they enjoyed the French banquet, the heads of state chatted about the 2,000-year history of friendly exchanges between the two countries and how each had benefited from the other's experience.

In particular, Emperor Akihito talked of the Japanese envoys dispatched to China during the Tang Dynasty (AD618-907) and how Japan used what it learned at the time to plan the ancient cities of Kyoto and Nara, which Hu will visit on Saturday.