State visit by Jiang Zemin to Japan

This article is part of a series about Jiang Zemin
1992 reelection as General Secretary 1997 reelection as General Secretary Shanghai clique Policies and theories Three Represents Socialist market economy Three Stresses campaign Program 973 Project 211 Project 985 China Western Development Go Out policy Key events Deng Xiaoping's southern tour Three Gorges Dam Third Taiwan Strait Crisis Handover of Hong Kong 1998 China floods Persecution of Falun Gong Handover of Macau Diplomacy 1998 Japan visit US Belgrade embassy bombing 2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship
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The 1998 state visit by Jiang Zemin to Japan was a response to an invitation extended by the Government of Japan to Jiang Zemin of the People's Republic of China for an official visit to Japan as a State Guest from 25 to 30 November 1998. It was also Jiang's second visit to Japan after succeeding General Secretary in 1989, following an earlier visit in April 1992.^[1] The goal of this state visit was to create a joint document with a forward-looking character that would set the path for Sino-Japanese relations in the 21st century.^[2] The visit was significant because it was the first visit to Japan ever made by the head of state of China. Both governments treated the Japan-China Joint Declaration On Building a Partnership of Friendship and Cooperation for Peace and Development—issued by the two governments on the occasion of visit—as a third important bilateral document, following the 1972 Joint Communiqué and the 1978 Treaty of Peace and Friendship. The two sides repeatedly have stressed that all problems should be handled in line with these three documents.^[2] China's expectations for this trip was high because in the previous month, South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung made his state visit to Japan which was considered successful.^[3] Despite high expectations, the state visit was considered a failure because Jiang Zemin and Prime Minister of Japan Keizō Obuchi were unable to reach conclusive agreements on matters concerning history, Taiwan, and Japan's permanent membership in the UN Security Council.^[2] As a result, the Japanese public and media had a negative view towards Jiang, which ultimately hardened Japan's attitude towards China.^[4]