File photo of Yutaka Yokoi,Japanese ambassador to China. [Photo: ecns.cn]

The Chinese foreign ministry says it hopes Japan's new ambassador to Beijing, Yutaka Yokoi, will work to improve strained ties between the two countries.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei acknowledged that ties have improved gradually over the last four years, but could be better.

"At the moment, Japan-China relations, to some extent, have improved. But they are still fragile and complex. We hope that Japan's new ambassador to China will use due diligence to push for the improvement and development of relations between both countries."

According to the official website of Japan's embassy in Beijing, Yutaka officially took over the ambassadorship from Masato Kitera on Sunday.

Kitera's term began in December of 2012, not long after nationwide protests opposing Japan's purchase of a group of disputed islands, known as the Senkaku islands in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

On the second half of our program, we will have an expert elaborating on the issue.