Real test starts for Japan,China

Having read the joint statement signed by Chinese President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda last week, we think there are several points worthy of note.

First, on the history issue that has been a thorn in the Japan-China relationship, the joint statement simply noted that history must be "faced squarely". There is also a passage in which China lauds the direction Japan took after World War II to become a pacifist nation.

In past Japan-China summits and other meetings, the wording of Japan's apology and remorse for its war of aggression was always a major issue of contention. Not this time. This was quite a difference from the past.