Yasushi Kudo, president of The Genron NPO, visited Beijing on Feb. 28 to launch preparations for the 10th Tokyo-Beijing Forum due for this fall in Tokyo.

In Beijing, Kudo conferred with Gao Anming, deputy chief editor of the China Daily, the state-run English-language newspaper and the Chinese partner of the forum, and other Chinese officials.

As a result of the consultations with the Chinese side, it was agreed that the 10th Tokyo-Beijing Forum will be held in Tokyo sometime this fall as a culmination of the forum's endeavors during the last 10 years to improve relations between Japan and China. It was also agreed that the detailed itinerary of the 10th gathering will be determined at the earliest possible date, while the top leaders of the Japanese Executive Committee and its Chinese counterpart will get together in Beijing around June to hold prior consultations on the operation of this year's forum.

During his stay in Beijing, Kudo paid a courtesy call on Director Cai Mingzhao of the State Council Information Office. In the meeting, Kudo told Cai that the upcoming forum will be held against the background of an unprecedented harsh bilateral environment, adding that the value of the dialogue will be put to the test this year. Kudo also sought Cai's understanding of The Genron NPO's endeavors to address the prevention of a crisis in East Asia from the standpoint of the private sector while intergovernmental diplomacy ceases to function between the two countries. Cai showed his understanding of The Genron NPO's efforts and voiced his continued support.

Later, Kudo visited Xiong Bo, a deputy director-general of the Department of Asian Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and exchanged views on the present state of Japan-China relations. Kudo reiterated the importance of the private-sector forum's role in improving the bilateral relationship.

Winding up his visit to Beijing, Kudo said the Japanese and Chinese intellectuals, and opinion leaders reached accords on the "no-war pledge" at the 9th Tokyo-Beijing Forum held in Beijing last year, and the agreement was publicized all over the world. "We are set to put the 'no-war pledge' into practice and promote the creation of an environment conducive to intergovernmental diplomacy between the two countries," Kudo said. He also said that he would strive to make the 10th Tokyo-Beijing Forum the culmination of the past efforts, which should lead to the next 10 years of continued dialogue between Japan and China.