Is Japan trying to build bridges with China after Taiwan spat?

What the report says

A Japanese delegation of politicians traveled to Beijing this week in what analysts described as an effort to ease tensions with China after months of worsening friction over Taiwan. The group includes Gaku Hashimoto of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, along with lawmakers from the opposition Komeito and Centrist Reform Alliance parties. Al Jazeera reported that the visit comes amid one of the sharpest Japan-China rifts in decades.

The dispute intensified after Takaichi said in November last year that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could amount to a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan that might justify the use of force. Beijing responded with a diplomatic protest, travel warnings for Chinese citizens, and tighter trade measures. According to the report, China later expanded restrictions on dual-use exports and rare earth materials, while also placing Japanese entities under additional trade controls.

The article places the current tensions in a longer historical context, noting unresolved grievances dating back to Japan’s wartime actions in China and the broader political sensitivity surrounding Taiwan. It also says bilateral communications have largely stalled, with Chinese and Japanese officials under pressure to restore contact. Experts quoted by Al Jazeera said the economic and strategic stakes are significant, especially because Japan relies heavily on Chinese rare earth supply chains and tourism, even as both sides continue to manage limited business ties.