BEIJING, Dec. 19 -- China's top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng on Friday urged the Japanese government to make more effort in the mending of bilateral ties.

Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, made the remarks while meeting with Yohei Kono, former Speaker of the Japanese House of Representatives and president of the Japanese Association for the Promotion of International Trade.

Recently relations between China and Japan have experienced developments after a two-year stalemate, Yu said.

The two sides should seriously maintain and implement their newly reached four-point agreement, and properly handle major sensitive issues including those regarding history and the Diaoyu Islands, and gradually promote bilateral cooperation in various areas, he said.

"Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent remarks on the ceremony for China's first National Memorial Day to recognize Nanjing Massacre victims, was a brilliant exposition of how we should draw lessons from history and face up to the future under the new circumstances," he said.

Yu called on Japan to have a comprehensive and correct understanding of Xi's remarks.

Yohei Kono, for his part, said the two countries should cherish the current sound momentum and promote the continued improvement of ties on the basis of acknowledging history.