Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (2nd L) follows a Shinto priest, dressed in a white and yellow robe, on a surprise visit to the controversial Yasukuni shrine that prompted angry reaction from China and South Korea.  [AFP]

Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi made the proposal to Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo on the first of three days of senior working-level talks in China, according to the source.

The source declined to say whether China responded, saying only that "talks will continue tomorrow."

China stopped bilateral meetings between the countries' leaders and foreign ministers since Koizumi's most recent Yasukuni visit in October.

China has repeatedly complained about Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni, which enshrines Class-A war criminals along with the war dead, saying the visits prove Japan does not truly repent its wartime atrocities.

Earlier in the day, Yachi said he would propose that the two countries' foreign ministers meet on the sidelines of a meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue to be held in Qatar later this month.