Japan’s Ishiba Seeks to Improve Ties with China; Japan Hopes to Maintain Good Relationship with South Korea Despite Political Turmoil

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:00 JST, January 10, 2025

The government is seeking to improve ties with China and maintain its good relationship with South Korea.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, is scheduled to visit Japan early this year to hold a ministerial-level meeting of the Japan-China High-Level Economic Dialogue to discuss economic issues.

A visit to Japan by Chinese Premier Li Qiang is also being coordinated in conjunction with plans to hold a trilateral summit between Japan, China and South Korea, as well as other meetings.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also expressed his willingness to visit China.

Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama is scheduled to visit China from Monday. Moriyama briefed Ishiba about his visit at the Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday.

“It was clear that the prime minister wants to visit China as soon as possible,” Moriyama told reporters after the meeting.

The Chinese government has indicated that it intends to resume imports of Japanese marine products, which were halted over the release of treated water into the ocean from Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The timing of when the imports will be resumed is likely to be a focal point. Talks on resuming imports of Japanese beef is also expected to progress.

The administration of Xi Jinping is hinting its intention to improve ties with the Ishiba administration, which it sees as moderate toward China. For Ishiba, improving relations with China could be an easy diplomatic achievement.

However, as China is continuing to strengthen its maritime expansion in the East China Sea and other areas, Ishiba might face opposition from conservative members in the LDP if he moves too hastily.

Meanwhile, relations between Japan and South Korea have improved greatly under the administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol. Ishiba intended to visit South Korea at the beginning of the year but decided against it due to the political turmoil that followed Yoon’s declaration of martial law.

This year marks 60 years since the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea, and some exchange programs are planned.

Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya is set to visit South Korea from Monday and is scheduled to meet with his South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul. The foreign ministers will likely agree to maintain and strengthen their countries’ ties regardless of the political situation in South Korea.

Strengthening Japan-South Korea ties is also important for countering China and North Korea, which continues to develop nuclear weapons and missiles.

“We want to strengthen our relationship with friendly nations ahead of the inauguration of incoming [U.S. President Donald] Trump’s administration,” said a senior Foreign Ministry official.