Veteran officials and prominent think tank analysts from China and Japan are gathering in Tokyo this weekend for an annual forum, seeking a way to narrow the widening gap between the two countries.

The Beijing-Tokyo Forum is co-hosted by China Daily and the Japanese nonprofit think tank Genron NPO. It is being held for the 10th consecutive year.

It serves as one of the few mechanisms for dialogue between the nations, with bilateral ties nose-diving under the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.