Japanese lawmakers and business groups visit China to ease ties ahead of Apec summit, experts call for clearer signal from Tokyo
Quick Look
Japanese lawmakers and business leaders are visiting China this week to improve bilateral relations ahead of the November Apec summit in Beijing, but analysts say the efforts will have limited impact unless Tokyo sends a clearer signal from the top leadership to mend ties, which have been strained since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's November remarks framing a Taiwan contingency as a survival-threatening situation allowing for collective self-defence.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Japan-China 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.
Visits by Japanese lawmakers and business groups aim to ease ties ahead of Apec summit, but experts say Tokyo must send clearer signal
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Published: 9:00am, 15 Sep 2026
With 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.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Tokyo will face continued pressure to clarify its stance on Taiwan and collective self-defence to meaningfully improve relations with China
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Will the Japanese government issue a clearer signal to mend ties with China?
- What specific outcomes are expected from the current delegation's visit to Beijing?
- How will China respond to Japan's diplomatic overtures ahead of the Apec summit?
