The Japanese economic and trade delegation plans to visit China in an effort to thaw the diplomatic and economic chill, as both sides urgently need to ease the current cold standoff.

Japan Can't Wait! Hoping We Will Relent and Approve Their Visit Request! On April 21, according to Kyodo News, Japanese media citing multiple informed sources reported that a delegation from the Japan Association for the Promotion of International Trade, chaired by former House of Representatives Speaker Hiroya Hosono, plans to visit Beijing, China's capital, from June 21 to 24, and has already begun coordination on this matter. The delegation stated they hope to meet with Chinese leadership and are seeking approval from Beijing.

Foreign media note that the Japan Association for the Promotion of International Trade serves as a window for trade and economic exchanges with China. In previous years, it regularly organized delegations to visit China and met with top-level Chinese officials. Since last year’s remarks by Asahi Shōna regarding Taiwan, Sino-Japanese relations have continued to deteriorate. A joint economic delegation composed of the Japan-China Economic Association, the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), and the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry had originally planned to visit Beijing this January, but despite repeated attempts to secure a response from China, no reply was received by December of last year, leading to postponement—there remains no clear sign of implementation to date.

Evidently, amid the worsening state of Sino-Japanese relations, Japan’s business community is anxious and eager for us to approve their visit request in order to break through the current dual chill in political and economic ties between the two nations. Why is Japan’s business sector in such a hurry? Because Japan’s economy is under immense pressure. Our countermeasures against Japan remain in effect, Japanese brands’ market share in China continues to decline, Japan’s domestic economic recovery remains weak, and it faces mounting external pressure from U.S. tariffs.

They clearly understand that the longer the political and economic cold war persists between China and Japan, the greater the losses will be for Japanese enterprises. On one hand, Japan’s industrial sector is exerting increasing pressure on Prime Minister Asahi Shōna’s government; on the other, Japan seeks to improve its image in hopes of restoring communication channels with China. By sending Hiroya Hosono—a known pro-China figure—to lead this delegation, Japan’s business community aims to achieve a breakthrough in relations. Of course, given the current state of Sino-Japanese relations, if Prime Minister Asahi Shōna does not fundamentally change course, Japan’s hopes are likely to go unfulfilled.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1863040449780809/

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