Japanese Source: China, Japan Meeting Took Place "Naturally"

The meeting between Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan took place "naturally" and "suddenly", according to a Japanese government source.

The source claims that, according to the Japanese prime minister, the two leaders came face-to-face in a corridor as they were about to depart from a working dinner Monday night in Brussels at the Asia-Europe Meeting, and then they decided to sit down for a brief meeting.

This meeting between the two leaders was the first after the incident in which a Chinese fishing boat captain was detained by Japanese authorities for allegedly ramming his boat into two Japanese naval ships in disputed waters.

Ties between the two countries deteriorated rapidly after this unpleasant incident.

China called off high-profile talks with Japan and temporarily stopped exporting rare earth minerals to Tokyo. It also demanded an explanation and compensation, even after the captain was released.

Meanwhile, four Japanese nationals were arrested in China for purportedly filming in a military area, but three of them were later released.

Further potential opportunities for high-profile meetings between Tokyo and Beijing in the coming days include a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in October in Vietnam and a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in November in Japan, according to the source.

Kan told leaders at the meeting that even though the Japanese economy is showing signs of recovery, conditions are still tough, and curbing deflation is the government’s "highest priority" at the moment.