Japanese media report that the Chinese government is preparing to announce a suspension of seafood imports from Japan again amid escalating diplomatic conflicts following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan. The dispute is expected to be prolonged.
These reports, including from NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, cite information from anonymous sources.
This suspension marks a return to measures previously enforced in August 2023, following Japan's release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Earlier, Japan and China had agreed to ease these measures, and Japan had just confirmed its first seafood export shipment to China less than two weeks ago.
The latest tension erupted from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's statement to parliament on 7 November, saying Japan might intervene militarily in worst-case scenarios, such as if China blockades the waters around Taiwan. This statement greatly displeased China, which demanded Japan retract the comment.
On Wednesday, Minoru Kihara, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, reaffirmed that Japan "remains open to various forms of engagement" with China but did not specify particular options.
The seafood import ban announcement came a day after Liu Jinsong, Director-General of the Asian Affairs Department at China's Foreign Ministry, stated he was "displeased" with the outcome of a meeting with Masaaki Kanai, Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Department at Japan's Foreign Ministry.
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According to Japan's Foreign Ministry, the meeting reiterated China's stance, continuing to demand that Prime Minister Takaichi retract her comments and pledging to maintain existing countermeasures, including advising citizens not to travel to Japan and discouraging students from studying there.
The dispute has spread to other areas, such as the Japanese entertainment company Yoshimoto Kogyo issuing a statement canceling performances at the Shanghai International Comedy Festival due to "unavoidable circumstances."
China has maintained its position, with state media clearly stating that any diplomatic efforts or explanations from Japan will be ineffective unless Takaichi withdraws her statements. They also signaled possible additional measures, such as leveraging control over rare earth supply chains if tensions escalate.
China views Taiwan as the "core issue" and has pledged to bring the island of 23 million people under its control, by force if necessary.
Prime Minister Takaichi, known for her hawkish stance on China, quickly softened her tone, stating she did not intend to contradict previous government positions and promising not to revisit the issue in parliament. However, this retraction might set an undesirable precedent for Japan and could limit options in responding to emergencies in Taiwan.
Beyond the seafood import ban, China is attempting to control the narrative by widely distributing content via state media portraying Japan as the troublemaker deliberately seeking to change the status quo. They also link Japan's military past during World War II to current actions.
In controlling coverage, Chinese state television immediately broadcast images of Kanai and Liu following their meeting, showing Liu looking stern and with his hand in his pocket, seemingly lecturing Kanai, who bowed his head listening to an interpreter standing between them.
When asked if this incident was part of a Chinese government "propaganda campaign," Kihara said at a press conference that Japan had raised the issue with China, noting the media handling occurred "without proper coordination with Japan," as typically China's Foreign Ministry does not permit filming of officials inside buildings immediately after talks.