By ReutersTOKYO - Senior Japanese and Chinese diplomats have met to discuss a dispute over East China Sea islets hat both countries claim, the Japanese government said on Wednesday, underscoring willingness to talk despite a sharp deterioration in ties.
Sino-Japanese relations took a dive after the Japanese government bought the islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, from a private Japanese owner in September, triggering violent protests and calls for boycotts of Japanese products across China.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura confirmed talks between Tokyo and Beijing after domestic media reported that Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Chikao Kawai secretly met senior Chinese officials, probably including his counterpart, Zhang Zhijun, in Shanghai last week to discuss the dispute.Anti-Japan demonstrators damaged a car carrying U.S. ambassador Gary Locke outside the American embassy in Beijing. The protest was in response to an ongoing territorial dispute between China and Japan. NBCNews.com's Alex Witt reports.
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