Japanese delegation falls short in bid to mend ties during rare China visit
The visit by the lawmakers was the first since relations faltered after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's November remarks that Japan could intervene militarily in a Taiwan crisis.
A delegation of Japanese lawmakers visited Beijing, China, for the first time since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Japan could join a military response to any crisis on Taiwan. Chinese officials insisted that Japan revise its stance on Taiwan before Beijing would consider changing its policy. Deputy head of the Chinese Communist Party’s International Department, Lu Kang, told the lawmakers that China-Japan relations were in a "serious difficulty" and urged Japan to "honestly and earnestly handle the Taiwan issue in accordance with the one-China principle."
Beijing considers Taiwan as part of its territory and the sole legitimate government of China. The visit took place amid a sharp deterioration in bilateral relations after Takaichi warned that Chinese military action around Taiwan could pose a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, a legal term that could allow Tokyo to use collective self-defense and respond militarily.
China reacted by protesting Takaichi's remarks and imposing diplomatic and economic sanctions on Japan, putting pressure on Takaichi to withdraw her comments. The Japanese delegation, led by Shinichi Isa from the Centrist Reform Alliance, also sought the early release of detained Japanese citizens and the lifting of export restrictions on key materials.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
