Sanae Takaichi to make first China trip as Japan PM

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will visit China next week for the first time since taking office, attending the APEC summit in Shenzhen, Tokyo said Friday.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki said Takaichi is scheduled to visit the Philippines and China from November 16 to 19 for ASEAN-related summit meetings and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

Ozaki said Takaichi would discuss trade and investment, regional economic integration, economic and energy resilience and the digital economy at APEC, and present Japan's positions.

The trip comes during strained relations between Japan and China. Takaichi suggested in November last year that Tokyo could intervene in any attack on Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory. China responded by warning its citizens against travel to Japan and imposing trade restrictions that have reportedly led to large drops in supplies of rare earth minerals to Japanese firms.

Analysts say a bilateral summit between Takaichi and Chinese President Xi Jinping is very unlikely. Multiple Japanese media reported that Tokyo had also asked Russia for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin at the gathering.

Ozaki said a Quad meeting involving the leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States is being arranged on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings.

Takaichi called China an “important neighbour” last month and pledged to build a stable relationship, while also saying Japan would assert its positions and call for responsible behaviour.