China Likely to Name Wu Jianghao as Ambassador to Japan

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:58 JST, February 5, 2023

China will likely appoint Wu Jianghao, currently China’s assistant foreign minister, to be the next ambassador to Japan to succeed outgoing Kong Xuanyou, it has been learned.

With the appointment of Wu, who like Kong is knowledgeable about Japan, the Chinese government is believed to be aiming to improve Japan-China relations, which have cooled, sources familiar with Japan-China relations said.

Wu, 59, is a native of Hunan Province. He was posted to the Chinese Embassy in Japan from 1993 to 1998 and from 2002 to 2008.

After serving as director general of the Asian Affairs Department of the Foreign Ministry, he was appointed assistant foreign minister in 2020 and took charge of diplomacy with Japan.

Wu is believed to have a network of contacts in Japanese political and governmental circles.

Kong, 63, is expected to leave his post soon. In May 2019, he succeeded Cheng Yonghua, the longest-serving Chinese ambassador to Japan, who held the position for more than nine years.