Beijing, Tokyo to commemorate ties

BEIJING - Beijing and Tokyo are planning to launch a grand opening ceremony in mid-February to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations, Japanese Ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa said in an exclusive interview with China Daily on Thursday.

China and Japan normalized diplomatic relations in 1972. Both countries agreed to mark 2012 as a year of friendship for Japan-China people-to-people exchanges, which will include the theme of "encounters with new friends and bounds of hearts".

The agenda for the commemoration is based on the "tangible and substantial achievements established in the past 40 years", he said.