Tokyo  - Japan expects to enhance a "mutually beneficial relationship" with China and improve public sentiment in both nations when President Hu Jintao makes his first official visit next week, a Foreign Ministry official said Friday.

The first visit by a Chinese president to Japan in 10 years comes as the two countries this year mark the 30th anniversary of normalized bilateral diplomacy.

"President Hu's visit to Japan is very important for long-term development between Japan and China," the official said.

The bilateral relationship was soured in 2005 by then Japan's prime minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honours Japanese war veterans, including war criminals.

The Asian nations that suffered from Japan's atrocities during World War II, especially China and South Korea, were outraged by Koizumi's visits despite their repeated protests.

"The public sentiment is fragile in both countries," the official said, particularly since the demonstrations seen in 2005.

During Hu's five-day visit, which starts on Tuesday, Japan hopes to help develop mutual understanding and trust, especially among the youth of both nations. Hu was scheduled to exchange opinions with students at a university in Tokyo during his trip.

Concrete improvements were seen in the last year-and-a-half, not only in bilateral relations but regional and global cooperation since former prime minister Shinzo Abe began mutual visits with Chinese leaders in 2006, the official said at a press conference.

Japan also plans to encourage China to "more positively respond to and actively participate" in the post-Kyoto protocol to fight climate change while Japan provides technology and experience in energy efficiency.

Ministers of the two nations were expected to sign a joint statement on environmental issues, the official said.

On the North Korean nuclear issue, the Japanese government hopes China will play a constructive role in the six-party talks.

Japan also hopes to see some progress in negotiations about disputed oil and gas rights in the East China See, food poisoning caused by China-made dumplings and the Tibet issue, the official said.

The ministry official said the government welcomed China's readiness to hold talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama, considering it "one step forward" in resolving the issue. (dpa)