A delegation of Japanese politicians traveled to Beijing this week in what experts interpret as an attempt to improve strained relations with China, marking one of the worst diplomatic rifts since the 1970s.

The delegation includes Gaku Hashimoto, a member of Japan’s House of Representatives and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), alongside lawmakers from the opposition Komeito and Centrist Reform Alliance parties.

The diplomatic tension began in November 2025 when Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that if China were to attack Taiwan, it could "constitute a survival-threatening situation" for Japan, potentially justifying the use of force.

Historically, Japan seized Taiwan from China in 1895 after winning the First Sino-Japanese War. In 1949, following the Chinese Civil War, the Republic of China (ROC) government relocated to Taipei, separating Taiwan from mainland China.

Shinichi Isa, a politician with prior experience at the Japanese embassy in China, noted that bilateral ties have sunk to their lowest point since the normalization of relations in 1972.

The diplomatic fallout has also impacted tourism, with Chinese arrivals in Japan dropping sharply from 715,700 in October 2025 to 330,000 in December 2025. Visitors from mainland China and Hong Kong typically account for about one-fifth of all visitors to Japan, according to a February report by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

This visit to Beijing is seen as a potential step toward defrosting the tense relationship between the two nations.

Sources