SAN FRANCISCO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to seek a resolution through dialogue to a dispute over wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant, Mr Kishida said after their first summit in a year.

“I urged that this be dealt with calmly on a scientific basis,” Mr Kishida told reporters in San Francisco. “We will hold discussions based on science at an expert level,” he added.

Mr Kishida described the summit as “very meaningful”.

Mr Xi told Mr Kishida that Japan’s discharge is a matter of international public interest and the country needs to handle the issue in a responsible and constructive manner, China Central Television reported.

The meeting in San Francisco on Thursday came a day after US President Joe Biden hailed an improvement in US relations with China following his own talks with Mr Xi.

The warmer tone helped open the way for US ally Japan to pursue its efforts to shore up ties with its biggest trade partner.

The Asian neighbours have been wrangling over everything from semiconductors to nuclear waste and the fate of Japanese citizens detained in China.

A territorial dispute over uninhabited islands near Taiwan continues to simmer.

Mr Kishida said he urged Mr Xi to end a ban on imports of Japanese seafood.

The restriction was imposed by China in response to Japan’s ocean discharge of treated wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has said the discharge is safe.

The Fukushima wastewater issue has hurt sales in China for Japanese companies, including cosmetics maker Shiseido, which slashed its profit forecast last week.

It has also been a factor in turning the Japanese public their most negative on China since 2014, according to a poll published in October.

Mr Xi told Mr Kishida at the start of the meeting that the two countries should focus on common interests, properly handle differences and re-confirm their strategic reciprocal relationship, state broadcaster China Central Television reported.

“I want to work with you to create a brighter future for Japan-China ties for the sake of the next generation,” Mr Kishida responded.

Japan has faced Chinese recriminations for following the lead of the United States in strengthening the regulation of chip-related exports to China.

Japan and China agreed at ministerial talks this week to establish an export control dialogue, China’s Commerce Ministry announced. 

The leaders also agreed to restart high-level economic talks at an appropriate time, according to a statement on the Japanese Foreign Ministry website. 

During the meeting, Mr Kishida expressed concern about the situation in the East China Sea, where government ships from both nations patrol waters around a chain of uninhabited islands claimed by both countries.

The Japanese Premier also called on Mr Xi to remove a buoy placed in what Japan sees as its exclusive economic zone.

Tokyo in 2022 dubbed its neighbour an “unprecedented security challenge” and is planning its biggest military build-up since World War II, a stance that has riled China.

Mr Kishida also called for the release of Japanese citizens being held in China, asking for the individuals to be returned, and legal processes made transparent.

China has defended its moves as part of the protection of its national security.

A man in his 50s had a 12-year sentence confirmed in November, while an employee of drugmaker Astellas Pharma, also in his 50s, was indicted in October after being detained earlier in the year. Details of the allegations have not been made public. BLOOMBERG