The dark clouds over Japan ties seem to be dissipating

On May 8 when Premier Li Keqiang landed in Tokyo, the city was drenched in rain and engulfed by winds, with the early summer temperature dropping to an uncomfortable low. In contrast, China-Japan relations are warming up.

The Japanese government treated Li, the first Chinese premier to visit Japan in eight years, as one of the highest-ranking official guests. Li meet with Japanese Emperor Akihito as well as heavyweight politicians and business dignitaries.

Li's visit to Japan on May 8-11 became possible thanks to the thaw in bilateral ties that had been frozen since 2012 when the Japanese government "nationalized" the Diaoyu Islands which China claims sovereignty over.