Japan's relations with its neighbors, China and South Korea have been recently strained. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been defending his recent visit to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine. The United States has repeatedly called for Japan to improve its relations with its neighbors.
Joining us now in the studio is Jia Xiudong, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies. Welcome, Mr. Jia.
There have been calls from the US, and within Japan, for Japan to improve relations with its neighbors. Have there been any signs that Japan is looking to ease regional tensions?