Tokyo: Tokyo on Tuesday urged 'stable' ties with Beijing as a Chinese military delegation paid a rare visit to Japan.
According to Anadolu Agency, the delegation from the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army is scheduled to meet with Japanese counterparts and senior defense officials through Friday. Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan's top government spokesman, announced at a news conference that this exchange has resumed after a five-year hiatus.
Hayashi emphasized that fostering mutual understanding and trust through open communication at the commanders' level would contribute to building constructive and stable relations between Japan and China. He also stated that this visit is seen as contributing to peace and stability in the region.
Coinciding with the military delegation's visit, lawmakers from Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito traveled to Beijing to engage in talks with officials from the Chinese Communist Party. During these discussions, Tokyo renewed its appeal to China to lift the ban on seafood imports, a dialogue that marks the first of its kind since 2018.
Beijing had imposed a comprehensive ban on Japanese seafood imports following Tokyo's decision to release treated radioactive water into the sea in August 2023. However, in September 2024, China indicated it would 'gradually resume' seafood imports from Japan.
This visit marks the first party-to-party dialogue since October 2018, with Hiroshi Moriyama, the secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, urging China to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals residing there. The Chinese delegation is led by Liu Jianchao, head of the Chinese Communist Party's International Department.
The dialogue between the ruling parties of China and Japan began in 2006 but was suspended in 2018 due to deteriorating bilateral relations and the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, both countries have taken steps to stabilize ties, with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi expected to visit Japan next month, following Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya's visit to China last month.