Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told Chinese media that China and Japan's cooperation in the third-party market, especially in developing countries, will promote the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Last year, the two countries reached agreements on third-party market cooperation, and signed over 50 agreements covering smart city construction, energy efficiency and green projects in Asian and Latin American countries during Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Beijing.

The initiative is of importance in promoting regional peace and prosperity, as it advances infrastructure building and increases connectivity, Hatoyama said.  

China is holding the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing this week. Hatoyama, as a member of the International Advisory Panel of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) said he looks forward to attending the event.  

The BRI has been widely reported by Japanese media since it was first brought up in 2013, Hatoyama said, adding that he had also been following the initiative.  

Japan should play a more positive role in the BRI and offer its experience in multilateral international cooperation, Hatoyama said.

The Japanese government has been demonstrating a rather positive attitude towards the BRI since last year when China and Japan have started cooperation in the third-party market mechanism, he added. 

(Cover: Japan's former prime minister Yukio Hatoyama during an interview with Reuters at his office in Tokyo, August 21, 2012. /Reuters Photo)