Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday that Japan will "properly respond to" individual cooperation programs related to the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

Abe made the remarks after hearing reports from Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and Yoshihisa Inoue, secretary general of the Komeito Party, about a meeting of the China-Japan ruling party exchange mechanism that they attended last month.

Inoue suggested to Abe that Japan should not miss the current opportunities to improve Sino-Japanese relations and should try to realize exchanges of high-level visits between China and Japan, according to Japan's Kyodo News.

Abe, for his part, said that he will make firm efforts to enhance high-level exchanges with China, said the reports.

The Japanese premier has signaled his willingness to improve the Sino-Japanese relationship on a number of occasions since the second half of 2017, according to local reports.

Earlier this month, Abe said at a New Year celebration party organized by Jiji Press in Tokyo that he wanted 2018 to be the year during which people in both Japan and China recognize "great improvement" in bilateral relations.

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