TOKYO -- A top aide to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a senior Japanese lawmaker are headed to Beijing for an economic conference, seeking to meet with high-ranking Chinese officials to pave the way for improved bilateral relations.

Takaya Imai, Abe's executive secretary, will attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation on Sunday and Monday after arriving in China on Saturday. The conference promotes Beijing's effort to create a broad sphere of economic influence in Asia, a pet project of President Xi Jinping.

Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, will also attend the forum as part of a four-day China visit starting Friday. By sending a key aide as well, Abe aims to demonstrate that his government is serious about improving relations with its neighbor. Tokyo also seeks cooperation in dealing with North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile development, given the influence Beijing wields over Pyongyang.

Abe gave Nikai a letter addressed to Xi during a meeting Thursday. The LDP official will use his ample Chinese connections to attempt to deliver the note in person during his visit. Abe praised Nikai's suggestion that the prime minister seek to visit China and have Xi visit Japan, the lawmaker told news media after the meeting.

Historically speaking, prime ministers' executive secretaries do not typically undertake official foreign trips alone. But Imai is the exception: He visited the U.S. twice before Abe's summit with President Donald Trump in February, discussing trade and national security matters with administration figures including Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser.

(Nikkei)