BEIJING, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese and Japanese academicians held the third in a series of meetings this weekend aimed at bridging differences over interpretations of history, amid a warming of bilateral relations.

    The two-day event here, which ended on Sunday, was attended by more than 30 scholars from the China-Japan Joint History Research Committee and other academic bodies.

    Chinese and Japanese scholars agreed that historians' responsibilities included detailed research that took into account Asian and world history, China Daily reports on Monday.

    Bilateral ties have warmed in the past year, following a long chill during the 2001-06 administration of former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, who paid repeated visits to Tokyo's controversial Yasukuni shrine, a memorial to Japan's war dead, including those from World War II.

    With 2008 marking the 30th anniversary of the peace treaty between the two countries, experts from both sides said that hopes are high for the outcome of joint research.

    The third plenary session focused on the discussion of theses of history. Several subcommittees are scheduled to study the work, so that a joint report can be submitted to the two governments by the year end, as agreed earlier.

    Headed by Chinese historian Bu Ping and University of Tokyo professor Shinichi Kitaoka, the joint study was first held in Beijing in December 2006. The second session was held last March in Tokyo.

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