China-Japan Military Units Exchange After 6 Years... Japanese Defense Minister "Considering Self-Defense Forces Visit to China"

Officials of the Chinese People's Liberation Army visited Japan from the 13th to the 17th, marking the first exchange between the military units of the two countries in six years, NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, reported on the 17th.

On the same day, Japanese Defense Minister Ken Nakatani held a press conference and announced that six officials from the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, responsible for the Taiwan Strait, the East China Sea, and the Pacific Ocean, visited Japan from the 13th to the 17th.

This visit by the Eastern Theater Command delegation to Japan was the first in about six years since November 2018. They visited the Japan Self-Defense Forces Central Hospital and the Maritime Self-Defense Force base in Kyoto.

Defense Minister Nakatani conveyed the visit and stated, "We clearly expressed our serious concerns about China's active military activities around our country (Japan)."

He added, "We confirmed the importance of repeated frank discussions and communication between defense authorities, including these concerns," and said, "We will also consider future visits by the Self-Defense Forces to China."

China and Japan are striving to improve relations amid growing international uncertainty ahead of the second term of the United States' Donald Trump administration.

From the 13th to the 15th, Hiroshi Moriyama, Secretary-General of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and Makoto Nishida, Secretary-General of the coalition partner Komeito Party, visited China to attend the "China-Japan Ruling Party Exchange Council" and met with Chinese Premier Li Chang to discuss bilateral issues, including the resumption of imports of Japanese seafood by China.

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya also visited China last month, marking the first visit by a Japanese foreign minister in one year and eight months, and held talks with Wang Yi, Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party (also serving as Foreign Minister).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.