Japanese media reported that officials from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had originally planned to visit Japan this month to participate in officer-level exchanges with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. However, the Chinese side has requested a postponement. The Japanese liaison for this project, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, received notification from the Chinese that they are having difficulty coordinating the schedule and anticipate challenges visiting Japan within the year. The Japanese media speculate that this decision may be influenced by the discharge of nuclear wastewater from Fukushima.
According to Kyodo News, the exchange program was temporarily halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic but was resumed in July of this year when a delegation from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces visited China. This marked the restart of the program after approximately four years. Based on mutual consultations, Chinese personnel had planned to visit Japan later this month, make courtesy visits to officials of the Japanese Ministry of Defense, and tour facilities of the Japanese Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces. It was mentioned that a specific schedule had been arranged by mid-August.
However, after the start of the Fukushima nuclear wastewater discharge on August 24, the Chinese government condemned the action. Subsequently, the Japanese Ministry of Defense was informed that the planned visit would be delayed. Officials from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces believe that the decision might have been influenced by the wastewater discharge incident.
It was highlighted that the officer-level exchange program between China and Japan, facilitated by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and the Chinese military think tank “China International Strategy Institute,” began in 2001. The program was momentarily halted due to the deterioration of Sino-Japanese relations in September 2012 when the Japanese government nationalized the Diaoyu Islands (known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan). The program was rebooted in 2018 but was later impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
