A CHINESE warship dropped anchor off Tokyo yesterday for the first time since World War II, symbolising improving ties between the countries.
The port call by the guided missile destroyer Shenzhen, with 345 officials and sailors on board, is part of an exchange that will bring a Japanese warship on a visit to China at a later date.
It is the first Chinese port call in more than 70 years. The last such visit took place in 1934 by a vessel from the late Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek, according to Japan's Defence Ministry.
The latest visit takes place amid concerns in Japan over China's surging defence spending, but the commanding officer assured his Japanese hosts that Tokyo has nothing to fear from Chinese military might.
'There is no need for concern, but we must be able to protect ourselves,' Rear Admiral Xiao Xinnian told reporters aboard the ship.
'China does not want to be a superpower or take over the world.'
The Chinese ship arrived under heavy security, with a Japanese destroyer as its escort and a half-dozen helicopters buzzing in the sky.
On board, a navy band played Anchors Aweigh, while hundreds of Chinese well-wishers waved the two countries' flags, and a lion dance performance took place.
During its four-day stay, the Shenzhen will be open to the Japanese public for tours. It will also dock at the Japanese naval headquarters in Yokosuka, just south of the capital, before returning to its home base in the southern Chinese port of Zhanjiang.
'We looked forward to your visit, which would open up a new page in the history of Japan-China military exchange,'Admiral Eiji Yoshikawa, chief of staff for Japan's navy, told the Chinese delegation.
Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai said the warship was a 'messenger of peace'.
'Japanese and Chinese relations are at an important point. China is following the path of peace and partnership, and Japan is an important neighbour for China.'
Japan's brutal invasion and occupation of much of China in the 1930s and 1940s have left a legacy of bitterness. - AP news.