Japanese House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono said Wednesday that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's speech at the Japanese parliament has been widely praised by the Japanese people.

Premier Wen's "ice-melting visit" to Japan was successful and fruitful. His parliamentary speech not only expounded China's position, but also demonstrated China's sincerity, and has been widely applauded in Japan, Kono said.

Kono made the remarks during a meeting with a Chinese academic delegation. He also called on the two countries to make continued efforts to preserve and reinforce the favorable momentum of the improvement of the bilateral ties.

Wen paid an official visit to Japan on April 11-13 which he has described as an "ice thawer" in Sino-Japanese ties following the "ice-breaking" trip by his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe to China last October.