A senior Japanese ruling party official announced in Beijing that he and another lawmaker will meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Wednesday to deliver a personal letter from Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addressed to President Xi Jinping.
Hiroshi Moriyama, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and Makoto Nishida of Komeito are leading a delegation of Japanese lawmakers on a three-day visit to China. Moriyama stated that they reached an agreement with senior Chinese officials to pursue “concrete results” in advancing bilateral relations.
Tensions between Japan and China have been heightened by issues such as China’s ban on Japanese seafood imports following the discharge of treated radioactive wastewater from Fukushima in August 2023.
At the first ruling party dialogue session since 2018, Moriyama urged China to lift the ban and remove restrictions on Japanese beef and rice imports. He emphasized the need to enhance mutual understanding and strengthen dialogue at various levels to improve relations.
bLiu Jianchao of the Chinese Communist Party expressed willingness to promote a “constructive and stable China-Japan relationship.” The two ruling parties agreed to accelerate government communication and address concerns regarding treated water discharge, with plans for the next dialogue session in Japan this fall.
