China abruptly canceled a meeting with the Japanese prime minister on Monday, cutting short a visit aimed at repairing severely strained relations.

The Japanese government said Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi had to return to China for urgent domestic reasons. Wu and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi [Images] had been scheduled to meet late Monday afternoon.

The prime minister seemed surprised by the sudden change.

"It was their (China's) request to hold a meeting, and I thought it would have been a good opportunity," Koizumi told reporters. "I don't understand why they're canceling it now."

The China Japan row

Wu's visit was to be part of a string of official contacts between Tokyo and Beijing [Images] aimed at defusing the worst dispute in decades.

Violent anti-Japan protests broke out in China in April amid tensions over a territorial dispute, clashes over maritime natural resources and differences over interpretations of World War II history.

A Japan [Images]ese foreign ministry official said on condition of anonymity that Chinese officials requesting the cancellation emphasized that Beijing remained committed to pursuing diplomatic efforts with Japan.

Shinzo Abe [Images], a top official of Koizumi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said he didn't think the cancellation would be seen as a major snub.

"But I'm afraid many Japanese may find it rather impolite," he said.

Japanese officials insisted they didn't think the cancellation was due to something Tokyo had done.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki said it was unlikely the pullout was connected to Koizumi's recent justifications for his visit to a Tokyo war shrine -- visits fiercely criticized by  China.

Koizumi also rejected the idea that the cancellation was Tokyo's fault.

"I have tried not to have a negative influence (on Japan-China relations)," he said. "We'll meet whenever they want to."

Wu had originally been scheduled to leave Japan on Tuesday. China's foreign ministry had no immediate comment on the abrupt schedule change.

On Sunday, Chinese President Hu Jintao met Japanese lawmakers in Beijing and said both nations should work to strengthen bilateral relations.

"Both the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government attach great importance to  China-Japan relations and sincerely hope that the two countries can coexist peacefully, be friends from generation to generation and conduct mutually beneficial cooperation for common  development," Hu was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.

Hu met with Japan's Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Tsutomu Takebe and New Komeito Party Secretary General Tetsuzo Fuyushiba.

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