A delegation of Japanese opposition lawmakers met with a senior Chinese official on Thursday to request an end to China’s ban on Japanese seafood imports. The meeting took place at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing as part of ongoing diplomatic exchanges between the two nations.
The delegation was led by Katsuya Okada, executive adviser of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ). Okada met with Li Shulei, head of the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee. During the discussions, Li emphasized the importance of strengthening strategic and mutually beneficial relations between China and Japan through peaceful cooperation.
The visit comes amid continued diplomatic engagement between the two countries, despite trade restrictions and other challenges. China imposed a blanket ban on Japanese seafood imports in August 2023 following Japan’s release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. In September 2024, Japan and China reached an agreement to gradually resume seafood trade, contingent on Beijing’s participation in monitoring activities.
During the talks, Okada also called for increased political exchanges and urged China to provide explanations in cases involving Japanese nationals detained on espionage charges.
The CDPJ lawmakers’ visit is part of a four-day trip to China, following a memorandum of understanding signed between the two political parties last year to enhance cooperation. The trip comes as economic and political interactions between Japan and China continue to grow despite ongoing disputes.
Further diplomatic engagements are scheduled in the coming days. China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, is expected to visit Japan for a trilateral meeting with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts. He will also hold bilateral discussions with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, marking the first high-level bilateral economic dialogue between the two nations in six years.
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