Japan FM Hayashi to Visit China First Time in 3 Years, Meet Counterpart

By Staff, Agencies

Japan Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Friday he will visit Beijing for two days from Saturday to discuss a range of issues, including the detention of an Astellas Pharma Inc employee.

Hayashi told reporters he will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang during the visit for “an honest and frank discussion to create a constructive and stable relationship.”

The visit comes after the Japanese government announced plans to restrict exports of 23 types of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, aligning its technology trade with a US push to curb China’s ability to make advanced chips.

Also clouding ties, a Japanese man employed by Astellas Pharma was detained in China for unknown reasons, a company spokesperson told Reuters on Sunday. The Japanese government has asked Chinese authorities to release the man, media reported.

“We plan to make our position clear on a range of issues including these during my visit to China,” Hayashi said when asked whether he would raise the issue of the Astellas employee and the release of water into the ocean from the wrecked Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Hayashi’s visit to China follows leadership-level talks held on the sidelines of an international summit last November, the first between the two countries in almost three years.

At the time, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he conveyed his concerns over China’s increasing maritime military presence but also said the two leaders agreed to reopen diplomatic channels of communications including a visit by Japan’s foreign minister to China in the near future.