Japan-China lawmakers’ youth delegation to visit Beijing
SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
A cross-party youth delegation from the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians’ Union is scheduled to visit Beijing from September 13 to 15, in the group’s first trip to China since Japan-China relations deteriorated after remarks on Taiwan by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last November. Separately, former Japanese foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya is planning to lead a delegation from the Japan International Trade Promotion Association to Beijing from September 27 to 30, with arrangements said to be in the final stage
Key Points
- The youth delegation will be led by Liberal Democratic Party lower house lawmaker Masahiro Komura (高村正大) and will visit Beijing from September 13 to 15.
- Participants come from multiple parties, including the Chudo Kaikaku Rengo, Nippon Ishin, the Democratic Party for the People, and the Japanese Communist Party.
- Union chairman Hiroshi Moriyama said the group is coordinating a September 14 meeting in Beijing with senior officials of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
- Moriyama thanked the Chinese side for accepting the visit by younger members and said he hopes to have an opportunity to lead a delegation to China himself soon.
- A separate delegation led by Iwaya is seeking meetings with Chinese leaders after a planned June trip was postponed following the sudden death of then-chairman Yohei Kono
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the two planned visits offer an early indication of whether political and business channels between China and Japan are reopening in parallel after months of strain. If the exchanges proceed smoothly, attention is likely to turn to whether higher-level political dialogue can resume despite continuing disputes over security strategy, Taiwan-related remarks and historical issues.