First Visit to China by Senior LDP Official Since Sanae Takaichi Took Office, No Meeting with Chinese Officials

Yasutoshi Nishimura, Chairman of the Election Strategy Committee of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), visited Beijing from May 2nd to 3rd. This visit is the first by a top-four LDP official since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office, following a period of strained relations between Japan and China after Takaichi's "Taiwan contingency" remarks in November. Nishimura visited Beijing en route back to Japan after a trip to Kazakhstan. During his visit, he inspected companies involved in autonomous driving and engaged with business leaders. However, no meetings with Chinese officials were scheduled. Nishimura expressed optimism about Japanese companies' potential after visiting a company developing humanoid robots, noting progress since he last saw their work in 2022. Japan-China relations cooled significantly after Takaichi's comments, leading to a halt in high-level exchanges. Both the Japanese government and business community are seeking ways to improve relations, with plans for the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry to attend the APEC Ministerial Meeting in China in May, and a delegation from the Japan Association for the Promotion of International Trade scheduled to visit Beijing in June.