Japan Biz Delegation Postpones Beijing Visit

Tokyo, Dec. 31 (Jiji Press)--A Japanese business delegation will postpone a planned visit to Beijing, the Japan-China Economic Association said Wednesday.

Representatives from the association, the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, and the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry were scheduled to visit Beijing for four days from Jan. 20, 2026.

The association believes that it would be difficult to carry out the visit as Japan-China relations have deteriorated following remarks made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in November 2025 on a possible Taiwan contingency.

It would be the first postponement of such a visit since 2012, when bilateral relations were strained over the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan, which were claimed by China.

The Japanese side had been coordinating plans for Kosei Shindo, head of the association, Keidanren Chairman Yoshinobu Tsutsui and JCCI head Ken Kobayashi to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]