Cross-party Japan lawmakers meet with China's top legislator
The delegation led by Hiroshi Moriyama, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is on a three-day visit to China through Tuesday.
The group is set to call for an end to the seafood import ban imposed in August 2023 over Japan's discharge of treated radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea.
On Monday, the Japanese lawmakers asked Beijing to lease some more giant pandas to the neighboring country as four pandas currently at a western Japan zoo will return to China around late June.
During their trip, the lawmakers met with Liu Jianchao, head of the Chinese Communist Party's International Department, and Yang Wanming, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
The parliamentarians' group last sent a delegation to China in August last year, headed by then LDP heavyweight lawmaker Toshihiro Nikai, who retired from politics in October.
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Japan Times
an hour ago
- Japan Times
Xi looks to tighten grip after scandals shake China's military elite
Outwardly, China's military has never been stronger. Its naval ships venture farther across the oceans. Its nuclear force grows by about 100 warheads every year. Its military flights around Taiwan are increasingly frequent and intimidating. Every few months, China unveils new weapons, like a prototype stealth fighter or newfangled landing barges. Internally, though, China's military is experiencing its most serious leadership disarray in years. Three of the seven seats on the Central Military Commission — the Communist Party council that controls the armed forces — appear to be vacant after members were arrested or simply disappeared. That internal turbulence is testing President Xi Jinping's effort, going back more than a decade, to build a military that is loyal, modern, combat-ready and fully under his control. Xi has set a 2027 target for modernizing the People's Liberation Army, or PLA, and also — according to some U.S. officials — for gaining the ability to invade Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory. The current wave of investigations and removals has reached some commanders handpicked by Xi, suggesting recurrent problems in a system that he has tried for years to clean up. In the first years after Xi came to power in 2012, he launched an intense campaign to clean up corruption in the military and impose tighter control, culminating in a big reorganization. "When Xi Jinping sees his own men making mistakes, he is likely to be especially furious,' Joseph Torigian, an associate professor at American University who has studied Chinese leaders' relations with the military, said of Xi. "Control over the military is so existential. It's inherently explosive. That's why any sense of stepping out of line has to be crushed.' The most jarring absence in the military leadership is that of Gen. He Weidong. The second most-senior career officer on the Central Military Commission, He has disappeared from official public events and mentions — an unexplained absence that suggests he, too, is in trouble and may be under investigation. Another top commander, Adm. Miao Hua, who oversaw political work in the military, was placed under investigation last year for unspecified "serious violations of discipline,' a phrase that often refers to corruption or disloyalty. He was among around two dozen, if not more, senior PLA officers and executives in the armaments industry who have been investigated since 2023, according to a recent tally by the Jamestown Foundation. Chinese President Xi Jinping gestures during the opening remarks of the 25th European Union-China Summit at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on July 24. | REUTERS Both men had risen unusually quickly under Xi's patronage. While Chinese officials are vulnerable to investigations for corruption or disloyalty even in the best of times, for him to lose them both reveals an uncommon degree of top-level upheaval. "The purges may have affected the working of the bureaucracy. It can also create a broader skepticism about the readiness of the Chinese military within the leadership,' said Ely Ratner, who had been an assistant secretary of defense in the Biden administration. Xi's ultimate fears for the Chinese military come from questions of battlefield preparedness, and anxieties that commanders could drift away from absolute loyalty to him and the party. Xi may seek a fourth term as leader of the Communist Party in 2027, and he will need to replace retiring or purged commanders with a new cohort whose devotion to him is beyond question. Recent official statements point to a renewed drive to reinforce ideological control. The Central Military Commission issued new rules last month aimed at "fully eliminating toxic influences, and restoring the image and authority of political officers.' A series of front-page commentaries in the Liberation Army Daily — the main newspaper of the Chinese military — urged PLA political officers to observe absolute loyalty. Since Mao Zedong's era, the military has served not only as a fighting force but also as a lever of political control for Chinese leaders, as their ultimate protection against potential rivals or popular uprisings. In internal speeches to the military throughout the earlier years in his rule, Xi praised the army for standing by party leaders during the 1989 military crackdown on pro-democracy protests, according to a volume of his speeches to the military published in 2019. But in such speeches, Xi has also repeatedly cited the lessons of Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong, the two most senior former PLA commanders who were arrested for corruption nearly a decade ago. If the rot in the Chinese military elite had been left to spread, "our forces would have become a private army under certain people, an armed force turning against the party,' Xi told a Central Military Commission meeting in 2018. There are no signs that the recent turbulence in the military amounts to concerted defiance of Xi. But even relatively few cases of corruption or mismanagement could erode the trust between Xi and his commanders, said Joel Wuthnow, a senior research fellow at the National Defense University in Washington who studies China's military. Xi is the only civilian party leader who sits on the Central Military Commission, which ensures his singular power over the military. That also means that he cannot turn to other civilian officials to help him. "Xi would have to rely on commanders to develop options and implement them based on a huge amount of information and technical skills,' Wuthnow said. "If he's unable to verify that those people are honest, professional and competent, then I think his appetite for war goes down because: How can he be sure of the outcome?' An anti-landing drill — part of the Han Kuang military exercise in Bali in Taiwan on July 27, 2023 | Lam Yik Fei / The New York Times The purges are likely to disrupt coordination, weaken confidence in commanders and prompt Beijing to be more wary of considering an amphibious assault on Taiwan, M. Taylor Fravel, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wrote recently in Foreign Affairs. "The high intensity kinds of operations that would be involved in an invasion of Taiwan, or a blockade of Taiwan — pretty much anything that would happen under the shadow of U.S. involvement — I think will be impacted for a period of time by these problems,' Fravel said in a telephone interview. But the need to act strongly in a crisis against foes might override any doubts about combat readiness, Fravel said. If Xi felt that a war on Taiwan was necessary, he would most likely not hesitate to send his armed forces into battle, whatever the gaps in the top command, Fravel said. As if to make that point about resolve, Xi has pushed China's forces to perform increasingly demanding operations, such as the recent exercises by two aircraft carriers and accompanying warships in the western Pacific. An intercontinental missile test that arced over the Pacific last year appeared partly intended to send a similar message of resolve. "There is no detectable delay or scaling back,' in Chinese naval operations, said Andrew S. Erickson, a professor at the U.S. Naval War College. Next month, Xi will preside over a military parade in Beijing to showcase China's forces and his authority over them, when the party commemorates the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which China celebrates as its victory over Japanese conquest. In the lead-up to the parade, the Chinese state broadcaster released a new documentary series called "Storming the Fort' that depicted the armed forces as primed for combat. "When the party tells you to do something, you sure do it,' an infantry officer says. This article originally appeared in The New York Times © 2025 The New York Times Company
Nikkei Asia
4 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Economists welcome rise in foreign workers in Japan: Nikkei survey
TOKYO -- A Nikkei survey found that a majority of economists believe the increase in the number of foreign residents in Japan will enhance the country's fiscal balance, driven by their tax and social insurance contributions, and help to raise the living standards of the average Japanese citizen. Nikkei, in collaboration with the Japan Center for Economic Research, asked nearly 50 economists to form an Economics Panel in 2024. The economists were chosen based on their academic achievements and influence, taking into account their areas of expertise and the importance of diversity. The panel took up questions related to fiscal and financial issues, as well as Japan's policies regarding overseas nationals. Among the panelists, 66% agreed that an increase in the number of foreign residents in Japan could improve the nation's fiscal balance. They pointed out that having more young foreign workers will help alleviate labor shortages and that such workers will contribute significantly in terms of tax payments and social security premiums. Many panelists emphasized the importance of creating institutional frameworks to make it easier for foreign residents to live in Japan and to address their needs as they grow older. As of the end of last year, Japan had around 3.7 million foreign residents, an increase of 11% from the previous year. While many in Japan believe welcoming foreign workers is essential for the domestic economy, there are concerns that their presence may lead to competition with Japanese workers for jobs and could negatively affect civic order. Nikkei and the JCER surveyed 47 economists about whether increasing the number of foreign residents would improve the living standards of the typical Japanese citizen. The survey was conducted from July 18 to July 28. Seventy-six percent of respondents agreed that it would. Of these, 6% strongly agreed, while 70% agreed. Mari Tanaka, an associate professor of labor economics at the University of Tokyo, said, "An increase in foreign workers will help alleviate shortages of goods and services, as well as rising prices." Most of those surveyed predicted that competition for jobs between Japanese and foreign workers will be limited. Chiaki Moriguchi, a professor of comparative economic history at Hitotsubashi University, stated, "Empirical research has shown that foreign and Japanese workers primarily have complementary relationships [and] that [foreign workers] do not negatively impact the wages or unemployment rates of Japanese workers." Many economists emphasize the benefits of diversity in terms of raising economic growth. "New ideas introduced in workplaces [by foreign workers] can enhance productivity," said Taisuke Nakata, an associate professor of macroeconomics at the University of Tokyo. Concerns have been raised about how having more foreign residents may affect the fiscal balance, particularly welfare payments and nonpayment of social security premiums. However, the survey conducted by Nikkei and JCER revealed that 66% of respondents believe having more foreign workers will help Japan's fiscal balance. A significant proportion of respondents predict a positive impact on Japan's fiscal balance because foreign residents are mostly young. According to statistics released by the Ministry of Justice, people in their 20s and 30s made up 55.9% of all foreign residents in Japan as of the end of 2024. "Greater acceptance of foreigners will boost the ratio of prime-age labor force and result in higher tax revenue and social security contributions," said Hiroyuki Kasahara, a professor of international trade at the University of British Columbia in Canada. Motohiro Sato, a professor of public finance at Hitotsubashi University, added, "Many foreign residents are part of the working generation and contribute more in taxes and insurance premiums than they receive in benefits." Future institutional design will be crucial in determining whether the acceptance of more foreign workers contributes to the stability of Japan's economy and finances over the long term. Sato emphasized that Japan "needs to provide adequate education for foreign nationals' children, and ensure benefits for them in old age." At present, people born overseas make up 3% of Japan's population, while the average in OECD member countries is 11%. In many European countries and others with a long history of accepting immigrants, the costs associated with immigration, particularly the challenge of social integration of foreign residents, have become a concern. "To build a society where individuals from diverse backgrounds can coexist sustainably, it is essential to implement multicultural coexistence policies that include fiscal spending," said Yoshifumi Konishi, a professor of empirical microeconomics at Keio University, emphasizing the need to create long-term institutional arrangements. When the fiscal balance worsens, "paying the insurance premium in advance could be made a requirement for the issuance of resident status, similar to the case in Britain," said Toru Kitagawa, a professor of econometrics at Brown University. The Economics Panel program began in November 2024, with approximately 50 economists evaluating various policies. They respond to questions on topics such as fiscal and financial issues. The program conducts monthly surveys of panelists, who respond according to categories such as "I agree" or "I disagree."
Japan Times
6 hours ago
- Japan Times
Farm minister Koizumi visits rice field in South Korea
Farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi visited a rice field in a suburb of Seoul on Sunday to inspect the local rice farming situation. During the inspection in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Koizumi received explanations from a rice farmer on market price trends and measures to combat high temperatures and pests. Speaking to reporters, Koizumi said rice prices in Japan doubling in a year, coupled with the rapid increase in rice imports from overseas, including from South Korea, "has led to anxiety among Japanese farmers." The minister emphasized that he would work to stabilize the Japanese rice market through the release of government-stockpiled rice and the policy shift toward increasing rice production in Japan. Exports of South Korean rice to Japan have increased sharply, reaching a record 416 tons in January to June this year, which is 26 times the highest full-year total logged in 2012, according to Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. This is because South Korean rice, even with tariffs, can now be sold at around the same prices as Japanese rice. Koizumi is on a three-day visit to South Korea through Monday to attend a food security ministerial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Incheon, near Seoul. On the sidelines of the APEC meeting, Koizumi held talks with senior U.S. government officials, in which the two sides agreed to proceed with preparations for U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins' visit to Japan and Koizumi's visit to the United States.
