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Diplomatic dispute deepens between Tokyo and Beijing over Taiwan remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n China will again ban all imports of Japanese seafood as a diplomatic dispute between the two countries escalates, Japanese media report.<\/p>\n Japanese public broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News agency said on Wednesday that the seafood ban follows after China earlier this month lifted import restrictions on Japanese marine products, which were imposed by Beijing in 2023 after the release of treated radioactive water from Japan\u2019s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.<\/p>\n list of 4 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n Kyodo News, referencing sources with knowledge of the matter, said China has told Japan that the reimposition of the ban was due to the need for further monitoring of the water from Fukushima released into the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n But the ban comes amid a deepening crisis in relations between Beijing and Tokyo over remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The premier told parliament on November 7 that a Chinese attack on Taiwan, which threatened Japan\u2019s survival, was one of the few cases that could trigger a military response from Tokyo.<\/p>\n Takaichi\u2019s comments were met with a wave of criticism by Chinese officials and state media, prompting Japan to warn its citizens in China to take safety precautions and avoid crowded places.<\/p>\n In a post on X following Takaichi\u2019s comments, the Chinese consul general in Osaka, Xue Jian, threatened to \u201ccut off that dirty neck\u201d, apparently referring to the Japanese prime minister. Tokyo said it had summoned the Chinese ambassador over the now-deleted social media post.<\/p>\n Beijing has also advised Chinese citizens to avoid travelling to Japan and demanded that Takaichi retract her remarks, though Tokyo said they were in line with the government\u2019s position.<\/p>\n Seeking to defuse the row, Masaaki Kanai, Japan\u2019s top official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Asia Pacific region, held talks on Tuesday in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart, Liu Jinsong.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring the consultations, China once again lodged a strong protest with Japan\u201d over \u201cTakaichi\u2019s erroneous remarks\u201d, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning said.<\/p>\n \u201cTakaichi\u2019s fallacies seriously violate international law and the basic norms governing international relations\u201d, Mao said, adding the Japanese premier\u2019s comments \u201cfundamentally damage the political foundation of China-Japan relations\u201d.<\/p>\n Al Jazeera\u2019s Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing, said the visit by Kanai to Beijing was seen as an effort by Tokyo to de-escalate tensions and communicate to China that Japan\u2019s stance on independently-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory, has not changed despite Takaichi\u2019s remarks.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems there were no concrete outcomes, but what we have seen, though, is some footage following the meeting of these two diplomats parting ways, and I think it really speaks for itself. We have very cold body language from both of these diplomats,\u201d Yu said.<\/p>\n \u201cLiu Jinsong had his hands in his pockets, refusing to shake hands with the Japanese senior diplomat,\u201d Yu said, adding that the Chinese official said afterwards that he was \u201cvery dissatisfied\u201d with the meeting.<\/p>\n Liu Jinsong, director-general of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, met with Masaaki Kanai, director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Following the meeting, Masaaki Kanai has left the Chinese\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/rdAy2YJruQ<\/a><\/p>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n
\u2018Very dissatisfied\u2019<\/h2>\n
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