Japan thanked China on Tuesday for evacuating a Japanese national from Yemen. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, “We have conveyed our gratitude to the Chinese government.”

Japan’s show of appreciation comes as a welcome surprise considering the tensions between the two nations in recent years. These tensions have been fueled by Japan’s lack of remorse about wartime aggression toward China, China’s temporary cut off of metal exports to Japan in 2010, and the ongoing Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands disputes.

These differences date back to Japan’s invasion of China in World War ii. Japan offered many apologies throughout the years, but China questions its sincerity. The island dispute began 45 years ago in the 1970s when China questioned Japan’s ownership of the Senkaku Islands, called Diaoyu in China. The United States returned ownership of the islands to Japan in 1972, but China does not recognize Japanese sovereignty. These disputes made for a cold relationship between the two nations.

However, China’s evacuation of a Japanese tourist from Yemen to Oman shows that hope remains for better relations. This could be one small step toward mending the gulf in Japan-China relations. Although long strained, economic, political and military realities will require the relationship to grow stronger in coming months and years.

The Trumpet has long proclaimed an alliance between Japan and China, along with other Eastern nations. These nations, referred to as “kings of the east” in biblical prophecy, will unite to fight against the growing European power. To learn more, read, “Czars and Emperors.”