Then-Japanese ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) secretary-general Toshihiro Nikai speaks during the annual party convention in Tokyo on March 21, 2021. (PHOTO / POOL / AFP)

TOKYO - The Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians' Union, a non-partisan organization in Japan, has decided to appoint Toshihiro Nikai, former secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, as its chairman.

In a speech delivered at the general meeting of the organization on Wednesday, Nikai called for extending the Japan-China relationship into the future.

Nikai, who has led delegations to visit China multiple times, has long been committed to friendly exchanges and cooperation between Japan and China

Nikai told the press after the meeting that it is necessary to build a good relationship between young generation of the two countries to  further promote the development of Japan-China relations, adding that the two sides will deepen exchanges in culture and sports, among other fields.

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Nikai, 84, was secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party from 2016 to 2021. Nikai, who has led delegations to visit China multiple times, has long been committed to friendly exchanges and cooperation between Japan and China.

Katsuya Okada, secretary-general of the Constitutional Democratic Party, assumed the post of the union's deputy secretary-general.

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"The Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians' Union has welcomed the strongest chairman," he said.