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Dec. 31, 2009: Yomiuri Shimbun reports a de facto agreement on investment shares in Shirakaba/Chunxiao gas field in the East China Sea. Jan. 4, 2010: Prime Minister (PM) Hatoyama Yukio visits Issei Shrine. Jan. 4, 2010: Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou meets Ono Yoshinori, former director general of Japan’s Defense Agency, and calls for closer defense cooperation among Japan, US, and Taiwan. Jan. 4, 2010: Former Japanese Justice Minister Nagano Shigeto, who gained notoriety for denying the Nanjing Massacre, dies. Jan. 5, 2010: Japan’s Interchange Association appoints Imai Tadadshi as successor to Saito Masaki as chief of its Taipei office. Jan. 7, 2010: Japanese advertising giant Dentsu announces it will take a 40 per cent stake in China’s Suntrend Group. Japan-China Relations 103 April 2010 Jan. 7, 2010: China criticizes Japan’s plan for infrastructure development on Okinotorishima, which is located in the Senkaku Islands. Jan. 10, 2010: Japanese government sources report that China may take over Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) refueling operations in the Indian Ocean following the Jan. 15 expiration of its mission there. Jan. 11, 2010: Xinhua announces successful Chinese ballistic missile intercept test. Jan. 11, 2010: Shizuoka Gov. Kawakatsu Heita meets China’s Vice President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Xi expresses hope that PM Hatoyama will visit China later in year. Jan. 11, 2010: Beijing announces the opening of Lushunkou (Port Arthur) and Dalien (Dairen) in Liaoning Province to Japanese tourism; the Peninsula was the scene of major fighting in the first Sino-Japanese (1895) war and the Russo-Japanese war (1904-05). Jan. 12, 2010: The mayor of Yonagumishima requests Minister of Defense Kitazawa Toshimi to deploy Ground Self-Defense Forces to the island; Kitazawa commits to studying the matter. Jan. 14, 2010: The Hatoyama government approves funds for preservation measures and port construction on Okinotorishima and Minamitorishima Islands. Jan. 15, 2010: China’s Ministry of Public Security announces Japanese visitors ranked as China’s largest group of tourists in 2009. Jan. 17, 2010: Foreign Ministers Okada Katsuya and Yang Jiechi meet in Tokyo; discussion focuses on East China Sea. Jan. 19, 2010: China protests Japan’s decision approving conservation measures and port construction on Okinotorishima and Minamitorishima. Japan reasserts sovereignty claim over the islands the following day. Jan. 21, 2010: Japan and China agree to cooperate on food safety issues, including information sharing and inspection visits to food processing facilities. Jan. 24, 2010: Kyodo News Service reports that Japan’s Environment Ministry will cooperate with China on measures to counter air pollution. Jan. 27, 2010: Japanese, Chinese, and South Korean officials meet in Seoul and agree to hold the first joint meeting of government, industry, and academia representatives to discuss a trilateral free trade agreement (FTA) in Seoul later in the spring. Jan. 29, 2010: PM Hatoyama delivers policy address to the opening session of the Diet. Jan. 30, 2010: The second anniversary of the contaminated gyoza incident passes as responsibility remains undetermined despite ongoing investigations by China and Japan. Japan-China Relations 104 April 2010 Jan. 31, 2010: Foreign Minister (FM) Okada tells TV Asahi that China’s reaction to US arms sales to Taiwan was predictable and will not lead to China-US confrontation. Jan. 31, 2010: Japan-China Joint History Research Committee releases the report on its three year study of history. NHK’s Japanese language World Report segment on the study is interrupted in China during airing of scenes from Tiananmen Incident. Feb. 5, 2010: A government task force headed by Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Maehara Seiji agrees to recommend easing of Japan’s visa policy to allow the issuance of visas for individual Chinese at all Japanese consular offices. Feb. 12, 2010: Tokyo Gov. Ishihara Shintaro announces that Ueno Zoo expects to receive a pair of giant pandas from China in early in 2011 at a cost of $950,000 per year. Feb. 18, 2010: Yomiuri Shimbun reports the popularity in China of a Japanese TV series about the fate of a 19 year-old Japanese woman left behind in China at the conclusion of World War II. The article’s headline asks “Is this a change in attitude toward Japan?’ Feb. 7, 2010: New Japan-China Friendship Committee for the 21st Century begins a five-day meeting in Beijing. The group meets Premier Wen Jiabao then shifts the venue to Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province. Feb. 16, 2010: Hatoyama government announces the creation of a panel on “Security and Defense Capability in the New Era” to assist in formulating Japan’s new National Defense Program Guidelines. Feb. 17, 2010: Koshi Higashi, Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Upper House chairman calls for equality in the Japan-US-China relationship at the reception for Upper House DPJ members. Feb. 18, 2010: The panel on “Security and Defense Capability in the New Era” holds its first meeting at prime minister’s official residence. Feb. 24, 2010: Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and China’s Ministry of Commerce hold regularly scheduled vice-ministerial talks in Tokyo, focusing on China’s export control practices on mineral resources, including rare metals. Feb. 24, 2010: “Security and Defense Capability in the New Era” panel discusses China. Feb. 28, 2010: China’s new ambassador, Cheng Yonghua, who describes his sighting of Fuji-san from the airplane as an emotional experience, arrives in Japan. March 1, 2010: At a press conference in Beijing, Toyota President Toyoda Akio apologizes to Chinese consumers for vehicle recalls and quality-control shortcomings. March 3, 2010: Japanese Coast Guard aircraft locates Chinese maritime research vessel operating in Japan’s Senkaku Island chain within Japan’s EEZ. Japan-China Relations 105 April 2010 March 4, 2010: China announces 7.5 percent increase in defense spending for 2010. March 7, 2010: Chinese FM Yang tells a news conference during the National People’s Congress (NPC) that China’s position on the East China Sea is to arrive at an appropriate solution through dialogue. March 8, 2010: Japanese and Chinese diplomats meet in Beijing to discuss restarting the Six- Party Talks. March 9, 2010: Xinhua News Service reports that secret understandings between Japan and the US on nuclear weapons contradict Japan’s three non-nuclear principles. March 11, 2010: PM Hatoyama meets in Tokyo members of New Japan-China Friendship Committee for the 21st Century and announces plans to visit Shanghai Exposition. Tang Jiaxuan, Chinese chairman of the Friendship Committee, invites Hatoyama to attend opening ceremonies. March 16, 2010: FM Okada reasserts Japanese sovereignty over Senkaku Islands. March 17, 2010: PM Hatoyama calls for greater efforts to resolve East China Sea issues in order to make the region a “Sea of Fraternity.” March 18, 2010: Minister of Defense Kitazawa expresses support for early consideration of Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) deployment to Yonagumi Island. March 19, 2010: Wang Yi, former ambassador to Japan and presently director of the Taiwan Affairs Office, visits Tokyo and meets PM Hatoyama and Ozawa on Taiwan issues. March 21-26, 2010: Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Okamura Tadashi, with leaders of Japan’s regional Chambers of Commerce, visits China, marking the first such mission in 17 years. March 23, 2010: A survey conducted in Taiwan by Japan’s Interchange Association reveals that Taiwanese pick Japan over China as their favorite country. March 24, 2010: Japan, China, South Korea, and ASEAN announce revamped currency swap procedures under the Changmai Initiative. March 26, 2010: Minister of Defense Kitazawa visits Yonagumi Island and is asked by Yonagumi mayor to consider GSDF deployment to the island. March 26, 2010: The GSDF Composite Brigade, stationed at Naha, is brought up to brigade status to strengthen Japan’s defense posture in the southwestern islands. March 26, 2010: Xinhua News Agency announces the arrest of a suspect in the contaminated gyoza incident. Japan-China Relations 106 April 2010 March 27, 2010: PM Hatoyama and FM Okada express appreciation for efforts made by Chinese authorities to resolve the gyoza incident. March 29, 2010: Minister of Defense Kitazawa tells Nikkei Shimbun that he has directed Ministry of Defense staff to study the deployment of the GSDF to Yonagumi Island. March 30, 2010: China’s Foreign Ministry informs Tokyo of the pending execution of a Japanese citizen convicted of smuggling drugs into China. March 31, 2010: Japan expresses concern over the pending execution of the Japanese citizen through its embassy in Beijing. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirano Hirofumi acknowledges the issue belongs to China’s judicial system but cautions of the impact on bilateral relations. Japan-China