Japan Ruling Parties Delegation Meets Chinese Premier Li; Seeks End to Import Ban on Japanese Marine Products, Beef

By Hiroki Takao / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

15:32 JST, January 16, 2025

BEIJING — A delegation of lawmakers from the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito held talks for about an hour with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Wednesday.

LDP Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama and Komeito Secretary General Makoto Nishida led the delegation. They agreed with Li that Japan and China should expand human interactions and also economic interchanges, including those involving dignitaries, thereby deepening bilateral relations.

The lawmakers handed Li a letter from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to sources who attended the meeting, Li said he hoped Ishiba would visit China when it was convenient for him.

Moriyama called at the meeting for China to lift restrictions on food imports from Japan, such as marine products and beef, saying he hoped an answer would come soon.

Moriyama also asked for China to address pending issues, such as China’s coercive moves in the East China Sea and the detention of Japanese nationals in China.

Other matters on the agenda included North Korea’s abductions of Japanese nationals and Pyongyang’s missile development. Nishida asked Li to come to Japan at an early date, which Li indicated he was willing to do.

“The talks ran well over the scheduled time. We were able to hold a candid discussion,” Moriyama told reporters after the meeting.

The Japanese delegation flew to China on Monday to participate in the Japan-China Ruling Party Exchange Council. These were the first such talks to be held since October 2018.

The LDP and Komeito lawmakers returned to Japan on Wednesday evening.