China's Hu ends 'satisfactory and successful' Japan visit

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"This trip was satisfactory and successful," Hu told Nara Gov. Shogo Arai at a luncheon after the temple visits that was televised in part by public broadcaster NHK.

"Exchanges between China and Japan have been successful in many areas, and are expected to develop further," Hu said.

Hu toured the 7th century Horyuji Temple in Nara, which includes some of the world's oldest surviving wooden buildings, and told senior priests that cultural exchanges and deeper understanding are key to good relations.

"I hope the peoples of the two countries become good friends," Hu told Horyuji head priest Genmyo Ono, who escorted the Chinese president while explaining temple founder Prince Shotoku's role in promoting Chinese theories and culture in Japan.

But outside Toshodaiji the other Nara temple Hu visited a group of about 50 Japanese and Tibetan students staged a rally to protest Beijing's crackdown on Tibetan monks, waving Tibetan flags and shouting "Free Tibet."

However, Hu stuck to stressing good ties and cooperation between Asia's two giants.

During his five-day visit, the first by a Chinese president in 10 years, Hu held a formal summit with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, pledging to work together on everything from climate change to North Korea to territorial disputes. In their most concrete agreement, Hu offered to loan a pair of pandas to Japan following the recent death of 22-year-old giant panda Ling Ling at Tokyo's largest zoo.

Hu also declared an end to historical grudges, had a friendly breakfast with some of Japan's former leaders, charmed university students with a speech calling for a new era of partnership between Beijing and Tokyo in business, the environment and regional development, and challenged a Japanese champion to a round of pingpong.

Hu's last engagement before boarding a flight home was a visit to the Osaka headquarters of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., among the first Japanese companies to operate in China, to observe environment-friendly technology.