Japan lawmakers’ group plans young MPs’ China trip
Crhk · 2 SOURCESabout 4 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A cross-party Japanese parliamentary group is coordinating a visit to China by younger lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties later this month. The planned trip was proposed by the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians’ Union side, according to Japanese media cited by on.cc, and would mark the group’s first delegation to China since relations deteriorated last November. Group president Hiroshi Moriyama, the former secretary-general of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, disclosed the plan on Thursday, September 3. Beijing said it was willing to communicate with Japanese figures who uphold the four political documents between China and Japan and pursue friendship with China
Key Points
- The Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians’ Union is planning to send a delegation to China within September, made up of younger lawmakers from ruling and opposition camps.
- Hiroshi Moriyama, the group’s president and a former Liberal Democratic Party secretary-general, said on Thursday, September 3, that arrangements were under way
- on.cc, citing Kyodo News, said the proposal for the visit came from the parliamentary group’s side, with lawmakers from both government and opposition parties expected to join
- If the trip proceeds, it will be the alliance’s first China visit since November last year, when worsening Sino-Japanese ties halted such exchanges.
- A senior figure in the group said it hopes visits by Moriyama and other senior members can also be realized as early as possible, while former foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya is separately arranging a China trip this month
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, any thaw in China-Japan political exchanges could affect the wider regional climate that shapes trade, travel and business sentiment in East Asia. The story also shows Beijing is keeping channels open to selected Japanese political figures even while publicly criticizing Japan’s security posture and warning against what it called the growth of “new militarism”.