NHK WORLD, April 2 2023

Japan's Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa has agreed with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang to promote close communications between the countries at all levels.

These include communication between foreign ministers and top leaders. Hayashi arrived in the Chinese capital on Saturday as the first Japanese foreign minister to visit the country in more than three years.

In Sunday's meeting, Hayashi protested the detention of Japanese nationals in China, including an official from a major Japanese pharmaceutical company. He strongly urged the Chinese government to promptly release them.

Hayashi also expressed his grave concern over the situation in the East China Sea. The two neighbors have been at odds over a group of islands.

Japan controls the Senkaku Islands. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory. China and Taiwan claim them.

Chinese government ships have repeatedly intruded into Japan's territorial waters around the islands.

Hayashi also conveyed serious concerns about Beijing cooperating with Moscow to increase military activity around Japan.

The ministers affirmed the importance of communication in the field of security.

Regarding the situation in Ukraine, Hayashi mentioned Prime Minister Kishida Fumio's visit to Kyiv, and called on China to play a responsible role to maintain peace and stability in the international community.

Hayashi also expressed serious concerns over human rights issues in Hong Kong and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and reiterated the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.