China's Foreign Ministry urged Japan on Wednesday to take concrete action in improving bilateral ties between the two nations, according to state-owned agency Xinhua News Service.

Qin Gang, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said China always has been clear in communicating efforts to expand bilateral relations, adding that Japan has known about his country's stance for some time.

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He said the Japanese should show their sincerity and eliminate any obstacles hindering the improvement of China-Japan relations.

Qin's remarks were believed to be a response to Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's comments on Wednesday when he called on leaders from both countries to meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November.

During last month's meeting with Chinese officials, Fukuda said both sides were painfully aware of a "sense of crisis" between the two nations, citing strained China-Japan relations, Kyodo reported.

On Thursday, Qin also urged Tokyo to break away from its history of militarism after Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga confirmed on Wednesday that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had written a letter in April honoring Japan's World War II soldiers.

The letter was prepared for an annual ceremony at the Koyasan temple in Japan, according to Associated Press. However, the letter was written not as Japan's prime minister, but as head of the country's ruling party, Suga said.

In the message, Abe referred to the soldiers as "martyrs" who "sacrificed their souls" for Japan.

Tokyo should reflect on that time, Qin said, referring to Abe's letter. Qin, once again, called for solid action to promote mutual trust with its Asian neighbors and foreign community.

Relations between the two Asian superpowers have been strained due mostly to Japan's history of wartime aggression, a territorial spat over disputed islands in the East China Sea and to a general distrust of each other's defense policies.

Since Abe's re-election as prime minister in December 2012, no China-Japan summit has taken place.

TagsJapanese War Crimes, APEC, China-Japan