The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, Tokyo

A Chinese warship arrived in Tokyo on Wednesday on the first such port call since World War Two, the latest sign of warming ties between the Asian neighbors and former foes. The two countries had agreed to reciprocal warship visits in 2000, but China cancelled a planned port call in 2002 after then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Yasukuni Shrine, seen in China as a symbol of Japan's past militarism. The missile destroyer Shenzhen, named after the booming southern Chinese city, docked at Harumi pier, near Tokyo's upscale Ginza shopping district, greeted by hundreds of Chinese residents in Japan waving small Chinese and Japanese flags. Japan tightened security with checkpoints dotting roads leading to the pier, although two trucks with right-wing protesters could be seen in the distance. "We looked forward to your visit which would open up a new page in the history of Japan-China military exchange," Japan's chief of naval operations, Eiji Yoshikawa, said in a speech.