Head of Japan coalition partner postpones China visit over state of ‘current relations’
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Police and security personnel stand outside the entrance of the Japanese embassy in Beijing on Aug 26, 2023.
PHOTO: AFP
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TOKYO - The head of Japan’s Komeito party, the junior partner in the coalition government, will postpone his planned visit to China at China’s request, the party announced on Saturday.
Mr Natsuo Yamaguchi was planning to visit China from Aug 28 to 30 in hopes of meeting China’s President Xi Jinping and to hand over a personal letter from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
However, the Chinese side on Saturday informed Komeito that “the timing is not appropriate considering the current situation of Japan-China relations”, the party said in a statement.
Japan on Thursday begun releasing treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant
Mr Kishida and the leaders of the United States and South Korea also met last week and agreed to deepen military and economic cooperation and made their strongest joint condemnation yet of “dangerous and aggressive behaviour” by China in the South China Sea.
Komeito said it hoped “to readjust the appropriate timing of the visit in the future”.
The party said the Chinese side had explained that the country sees the importance of Komeito’s longstanding friendly exchanges with China and expressed appreciation for Komeito’s efforts to realise the visit. REUTERS
