A cross-party delegation of Japanese politicians has travelled to Beijing this week in an effort observers say may help repair relations with China, amid one of the two countries’ worst rifts since the 1970s. The group includes Gaku Hashimoto of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party, along with lawmakers from Komeito and the Centrist Reform Alliance.
What triggered the latest dispute
The diplomatic rupture began in November last year after Takaichi said that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan and justify the use of force. China’s consul general in Osaka, Xue Jian, responded with a post on X that threatened Japan’s prime minister; the post was later deleted. Tokyo protested and sought disciplinary action, but Beijing refused. China then warned its citizens against travelling to Japan and tightened trade restrictions.
The dispute sits within a much longer history. Japan seized Taiwan from China in 1895, occupied Manchuria in 1931 and launched a full-scale invasion of China in 1937. The 1972 Joint Communique normalised Japan’s diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China and ended its official relations with Taiwan’s Republic of China government.
Trade and tourism are already feeling the strain
China banned Japanese seafood in November last year and restricted exports of dual-use goods and rare earth minerals for defence or military uses in January. In February, China’s Ministry of Commerce placed 40 Japanese entities under restrictive trade measures and put 20 companies on a watch list requiring individual export licence applications, risk assessments and written commitments.
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Chinese arrivals in Japan fell from 715,700 in October 2025 to 330,000 in December, according to a February report by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. The report said the broader economic effect was limited because visitors from Taiwan, South Korea, the United States and Hong Kong offset the decline.
Rare earth supplies present a more serious concern for Japanese manufacturers. China provides about 80 percent of Japan’s rare earth imports and shipped no dysprosium or terbium oxide to Japan between November 2025 and May 2026. Nissan and Suzuki have reported supply disruptions; these materials are used in high-performance magnets and in some energy, technology and defence components.
Why the Beijing visit matters
Shinichi Isa, a former Japanese embassy official in China, said bilateral ties had fallen to their lowest point since relations were normalised in 1972, with official communication channels cut off. China’s Foreign Ministry has urged Japan to take diplomatic efforts to repair relations seriously and take concrete action.
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Analysts describe the lawmakers’ trip as a modest opening rather than a likely breakthrough. Dylan Loh of Nanyang Technological University said dialogue was important after communications had stalled, while Masahiro Matsumura of St Andrew’s University in Osaka cautioned that the visiting politicians are not necessarily aligned with Takaichi’s policy and that Japan’s ruling party remains divided over China and the United States.
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