Japanese delegation heads to Beijing to repair strained ties

A cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers headed to Beijing on Monday seeking to mend strained ties following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comment on Taiwan that angered China and led to tensions that have spilled over into the economy.

The group, which includes Gaku Hashimoto, a lawmaker of Takaichi’s governing Liberal Democratic Party and a former health and welfare vice minister, and a lawmaker each from the Komeito and Centrist Reform Alliance opposition parties, will meet with Chinese Communist Party officials during a visit through Thursday.

“Communication has been severed in all areas and we are beginning to see their impact in many areas,” Shinichi Isa, a spokesperson for the CRA party, told reporters before leaving Tokyo’s Haneda airport. “I hope we can somehow find a clue to restart a dialogue.” Soon after taking office, Takaichi said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute “a survival-threatening situation” for Japan that would justify the use of force, enraging Beijing.

Isa, who has served as a diplomat at the Japanese Embassy in China, wrote on X earlier this month that bilateral ties have sunk to their worst since the 1972 normalisation of relations.