Japan’s top diplomat, Takeshi Iwaya, raised “serious concerns” with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, over Beijing’s escalating military activities, according to a statement from Tokyo on Wednesday.
Iwaya expressed Japan’s vigilance over the growing tensions in Taiwan and China’s military maneuvers, particularly its recent naval exercises near Japanese territories and the South China Sea. He also voiced alarm about China’s rising military presence in the East China Sea, including around the contested Senkaku Islands, which Beijing claims as its own but Japan administers.
The Japanese minister also highlighted worries over China’s unilateral resource exploitation in disputed waters. The talks, which included a three-hour working lunch, focused on these pressing issues.
The two diplomats agreed to plan a visit by Wang Yi to Japan next year to discuss high-level economic matters. Despite economic ties between the two nations, longstanding territorial disputes and military tensions have strained relations, with Japan also calling for greater transparency regarding the case of a Japanese man held in China on espionage charges since last year. Iwaya urged Beijing to clarify its anti-espionage laws and expedite the release of Japanese nationals held in China, noting that the uncertainty surrounding these cases is discouraging Japanese citizens from visiting China.
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