China has called on Japan to do more to repair soured relations between the Asian powers following violent anti-Japanese demonstrations at the weekend.
Japan in turn demanded that China protect Japanese firms and expatriates but said the best way to resolve the bilateral tensions was through dialogue.
Thousands took to the streets in Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Shenzhen at the weekend in an eruption of anger at what many Chinese see as Tokyo's whitewashing of World War II atrocities and its bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
"Japan must adopt an earnest attitude and appropriate ways to deal with major principled issues concerning the feelings of the Chinese people," the official Xinhua news agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang as saying.
"The Japanese have to do more things conducive to enhancing mutual trust and maintaining the relations between the two countries, rather than doing the reverse," he said.
In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said the violent anti-Japanese demonstrations were "truly regrettable."
He said China was responsible for the safety of Japanese in China. "I think there is a need for both sides to have thorough discussions while thinking about future friendship," he added.
Despite China's apparent official support for what was the biggest outpouring against foreigners since the 1999 Nato bombing of China's embassy in Belgrade, analysts said the government was likely to keep a close eye on future demonstrations.