Japan has dispatched senior diplomat Masaaki Kanai, director-general of its Foreign Ministry’s Asia and Oceania bureau, to Beijing this week in a bid to calm an increasingly fraught diplomatic row with China, Reuters reports. The move comes after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sparked outrage in Beijing by suggesting that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could amount to an "existential threat" to Japan — remarks interpreted in some quarters as a veiled warning of possible military intervention.
In Beijing, Kanai is expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart Liu Jinsong, where Tokyo plans to clarify that Takaichi’s comments do not signify a shift away from Japan’s longstanding security posture. According to Japanese sources, Kanai will urge China to refrain from provocative actions and reaffirm Tokyo’s commitment to strategic communication.
The diplomatic surge follows a series of high-stakes escalations. Beijing previously issued a travel advisory warning its citizens against visiting Japan, a move widely viewed as retaliation for Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks. Complicating matters, China’s Consul General in Osaka, Xue Jian, posted — then deleted — a highly inflammatory message on social media: “the dirty neck that sticks itself in must be cut off”. The post was broadly condemned in Tokyo as “extremely inappropriate.”
In response to Kanai’s mission, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary stated that “various channels of communication are open,” emphasizing Tokyo’s desire to reset relations and prevent further escalation.
From China’s side, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian defended its earlier summoning of Japan’s ambassador, stating that Takaichi’s remarks “grossly interfere in China’s internal affairs” and violate the one-China principle.
Meanwhile, regional tensions have surged. Chinese coast guard vessels recently conducted what it described as a “rights enforcement patrol” near the contested Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, further ratcheting up maritime friction.
As economic fallout mounts — with shares of tourism-dependent Japanese firms already slipping — Japan is counting on Kanai’s visit to reset the tone, re-establish dialogue, and contain a situation that could otherwise spiral into deeper strategic confrontation.