Japan and China leaders set for first face-to-face talks in a year

(Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to hold their first face-to-face talks in a year on the sidelines of the APEC summit in San Francisco on Thursday evening.

The two leaders are expected to confirm a strategic relationship in an effort to patch up straining ties, and discuss the creation of a new dialogue framework on trade issues and a safe business environment, Japanese media reported.

Relations between the neighbours have been dented by issues including China's ban on Japanese seafood following Tokyo's decision to release treated water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea in August.

Kishida plans to call for the reversal of China's ban and will also insist on the early release of Japanese nationals arrested by Chinese authorities, while global issues like the conflict in Gaza are also expected to be on the agenda.

The meeting follows a highly-anticipated summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Xi on Wednesday in which the two superpowers agreed to open a presidential hotline and resume military-to-military communications, among other matters.

On the sidelines of the APEC summit, Kishida has also met South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in their seventh meeting this year as relations between the historic rivals warm. The pair promised to push for deeper cooperation and discussed shared concerns like North Korea's missile tests.

Leaders from the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum are in San Francisco for the 30th summit from Nov. 15-17.

(Reporting by Mariko Katsumura, John Geddie and Sakura Murakami in Tokyo, Editing by Daniel Wallis and Deepa Babington)