Former Japanese Ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa on Thursday succeeded Koichi Kato to become the new chairman of Japan-China Friendship Association.
At the ceremony to mark the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the association, Niwa, 76, appealed the two countries to pay more efforts to develop bilateral relations.
"Do not fail to do good even if it's small; do not engage in evil even if it's small," Niwa quoted an ancient Chinese proverb, saying even small things should be done as long as they benefit Japan-China relations.
Niwa worked as Japanese Ambassador to China from June 2010 to December 2012. He used to openly oppose to the Japanese government 's decision to purchase China's Diaoyu Islands, warning the move would trigger great crisis between the two countries.
