Japanese delegations flock to China, but thaw hinges on Takaichi mending ties

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Sep 15, 2026 #Apec, #Asia Group, #Beijing, #China, #Chinese University of Hong Kong, #Fudan University, #Japan, #Japanese, #Keidanren, #Komeito, #Liberal Democratic Party, #Osaka, #South China Morning Post (SCMP), #Taiwan, #Tokyo, #Yasukuni Shrine

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Japanese delegations flock to China, but thaw hinges on Takaichi mending ties

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The Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting will be held in Shenzhen, China in mid-November. Photo: Xinhua

Alyssa ChenPublished: 9:00am, 15 Sep 2026With bilateral ties in a deep freeze since late last year, a flurry of planned China visits by Japanese lawmakers and business leaders has been interpreted as an attempt to break the ice ahead of November’s Apec summit in China.

However, analysts warned that these efforts to carve out a diplomatic opening with Beijing might not achieve much unless Tokyo sends a clearer signal to mend ties from the very top.

Relations reached their lowest point in a decade following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks last November that a Taiwan contingency could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” that could allow Tokyo to exercise collective self-defence.

An eight-member cross-party delegation of junior lawmakers led by the Liberal Democratic Party’s Masahiro Takamura is visiting Beijing this week.

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