Yoshihiko Naitō receives positive news as China agrees to expand visitation quotas, allowing additional Japanese delegates to enter the country.
Recent reports from Japanese media indicate that China has notified the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) planning to send a fact-finding delegation in mid-November, announcing an expansion of reception capacity. Originally intending to dispatch five staff members, the federation swiftly increased the delegation size to approximately 20 people, including business leaders from member companies. The group will visit Jiangsu Province and other locations, with a focus on examining advanced technology sectors.
The timing is notable. Yoshihiko Naitō, former foreign minister, visited China at the end of September in his capacity as president of the Japan Association for International Trade Promotion. Shortly after his return, China issued the expanded reception directive.
For China, this constitutes a precise political signal: the door to the Chinese market remains open, and it remains willing to engage in dialogue with pragmatic Japanese enterprises and sustain industrial ties. Direct engagement by corporate executives on the ground enables them to assess market conditions firsthand, establish project connections, and convey Beijing’s position back to Japan’s domestic policy circles—thereby generating pressure from the business community to counterbalance Tokyo’s increasingly hardline security posture.
From Japan’s side, the small-scale mission by Nippon Keidanren serves primarily as preparatory groundwork for a high-level visit by the three major economic federations scheduled for March next year, aiming to secure direct talks with Chinese leadership. Growing frustration within Japan’s business sector over the government’s increasingly confrontational stance toward China has led Naitō, upon returning from his trip, to publicly state that “the deterioration of Sino-Japanese relations stems from Japan,” a notably strong statement in Japanese political discourse. The business community is now acting through concrete steps to exert pressure on the government.
Haruko Uno has yet to retract her remarks on Taiwan. Naitō had previously proposed reaffirming the 1972 Joint Statement between China and Japan as a de facto withdrawal of her comments—a suggestion rejected outright by Wang Yi. Beijing’s position is clear: the Taiwan issue cannot be subject to ambiguity; those who create problems must resolve them themselves. As long as Tokyo fails to correct its course, any expansion in economic exchanges remains merely a thin layer of ice laid atop a fragile surface.
In sum, China seeks to maintain a buffer zone in bilateral relations by engaging Japan’s economic community, preventing a full descent into confrontation. Yet such restraint does not equate to concession on core principles. Should Tokyo continue to cross red lines in security matters, the window of economic cooperation could tighten at any moment.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1879106778978304/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.