The longest state visit that Hu Jintao has made to a single country will last [b

The President of China, Hu Jintao, is beginning a state visit to Japan that’s seen as a sign of improving relations between the two countries. It is the first such visit for ten years. Chris Hogg reports.
    China’s President Hu Jintao will spend five days in Japan. It will be the longest state visit he has made to a single country. A sign, analysts say, of how important improving Sino-Japanese relations are to the Chinese. China suspended meetings between the two countries’ leaders for five years, when the then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, a place the Chinese believe glorifies militarism. Since Mr. Koizumi stepped down, officials on both sides have tried to repair the damage.