The dinner, which took place on Tuesday evening not far from where pro-Tibet supporters held a noisy demonstration, was hosted by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.

Matsumotoro, nestled among leafy trees in Hibiya Park, is famous for its annual charity event at which it dishes out Japanese-style 'curry rice' for the princely sum of 10 yen (13 Singapore cents).

But few are aware of its link with Dr Sun. During his exile in Japan, he was said to have frequently dined at the restaurant.

One of the forebears of Matsumotoro's present owner was a key benefactor of Dr Sun during his stay in Japan in the early part of the 20th century.

At the restaurant, President Hu, who had arrived in Tokyo hours earlier, was shown many memorabilia associated with Dr Sun's activities in Japan. Also on display was an old upright piano. Dr Sun's wife, Madam Soong Ching Ling, was said to have enjoyed tinkling on its ivories.

Matsumotoro is also a favourite with the Fukuda family. It was there that the Prime Minister's father Takeo, who was also a prime minister, held his wedding party.

Keen to stress the friendly nature of his visit, President Hu has taken great pains to renew personal ties with Japanese who have contributed to improving relations between his country and Japan.

On the top of his list was Mrs Makiko Tanaka, former foreign minister and daughter of the late premier Kakuei Tanaka, the Japanese leader who normalised relations with China in 1972.

Mrs Tanaka, who accompanied her father to Beijing on that historic trip, is accorded VIP treatment by the Chinese government whenever she visits China, mainly on account of her father's achievements.

'There are many difficult issues between the two countries. As a lawmaker, I shall do my best to help create more constructive ties,' she reportedly told Mr Hu.

He also met Mr Kiichiro Onodera, mayor of a small town. In 1984, Mr Onodera led a 3,000-strong contingent of Japanese youth to China on an exchange programme to promote friendship.

At the time, Mr Hu was the leader of the national Chinese youth organisation that hosted the programme.

'You have more white hair now,' Mr Hu reportedly called out when the mayor appeared. 'And you are looking as well as ever,' said Mr Onodera, who last met Mr Hu over a year ago.

Yesterday, the Chinese leader and his wife also had a 20-minute audience with Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko during which they talked about pandas and the Japanese crested ibis, both endangered species.

Last night, Mr Hu attended a banquet hosted by Emperor Akihito.

In China, his visit got 16 minutes of play on the main news bulletin last night - almost half of the bulletin.

Images of Mr Hu meeting the Emperor and reviewing the guard of honour were shown, with the Japanese anthem played in full on the bulletin.

The extensive coverage was an indication that the Chinese are eager for this visit to produce a 'warm spring' in bilateral ties, as Mr Hu himself put it.

wengkin@sph.com.sg