Japan Foreign Min. Official Visits China amid Strained Ties

Beijing, Nov. 17 (Jiji Press)–Masaaki Kanai, director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, visited Beijing on Monday for talks with his Chinese counterpart in an effort to mend bilateral ties that have soured in the wake of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s specific remark assuming a contingency around Taiwan. Kanai aims to meet with Liu Jinsong, the Chinese foreign ministry’s Asian affairs chief, on Tuesday to explain that the remark does not change the Japanese government’s conventional position. During parliamentary deliberations on Nov. 7, Takaichi became the first Japanese prime minister to clarify that China’s use of force against Taiwan will bring about a critical situation for Japan’s existence if the attack involves a warship. The statement has provoked harsh backlashes from the Chinese government, including a social media post by Xue Jian, consul-general in the western Japan city of Osaka, suggesting that Takaichi be beheaded and calls on Chinese people to refrain from visiting Japan and on those who plan to study there to carefully consider whether to proceed with the plans. Moreover, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong summoned Japanese Ambassador Kenji Kanasugi on Thursday to lodge a protest, stressing that Japan should take full responsibility. Kanai is expected to seek the withdrawal of the travel restraint requests by underscoring the importance of multi-layered exchanges. He is also likely to urge Beijing to “appropriately respond” to Xue’s post, which prompted politicians in the Japanese ruling camp and others to demand that the Chinese diplomat be deported. At a press conference in Tokyo on Monday, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara expressed concern about the Chinese government withering interaction between people of the two countries. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]