Japan envoy meets Chinese leader amid islands dispute

An envoy for Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has met China's leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, amid a growing territorial dispute.

Natsuo Yamaguchi, head of the junior party in Japan's ruling coalition, handed Mr Xi a letter from Mr Abe - its contents have not been disclosed.

Mr Yamaguchi said the two had agreed it was important to maintain a dialogue.

Mr Xi urged Japan to "work hard with China" to resolve the issue, a Chinese foreign ministry statement said.

As head of the New Komeito party, Natsuo Yamaguchi is the most senior politician to visit China since ties worsened last year.

Both countries claim sovereignty over a chain of islands in the East China Sea, called Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese.

The islands, which are controlled by Japan, lie south of Okinawa and north of Taiwan.