Yuko Obuchi (C), a member of the Japanese House of Representatives, reacts while viewing an image from a mobile phone during a visit at a flood-prone community in Navotas City, Metro Manila, Philippines, August 28, 2025. Photo: VCG

Senior members of the cross-party Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians' Union, including former Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) election chief Yuko Obuchi, conveyed to the Chinese side their request to send a delegation of lawmakers to China within the year, Kyodo News reported on Tuesday, citing multiple sources.

In addition, Tsutsui Yoshinobu, chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), has also recently conveyed a request to the Chinese side to dispatch a delegation to China, according to Kyodo News. The requests from the two groups come against the backdrop of rapidly deteriorating China-Japan relations following Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi's Sanae erroneous remarks on Taiwan

A Chinese expert who closely monitors developments in China-Japan relations told the Global Times that amid current tensions, some Japanese associations are seeking dialogue with China out of concern over the deteriorating situation. However, the expert noted that a retraction of Takaichi's erroneous remarks remains a necessary precondition for easing bilateral strains.

According to JB Press, the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians' Union is a cross-party group composed of lawmakers from both houses of the Diet. The group adopted its current name in 1973, a year after Japan and China resumed diplomatic relations. Its predecessor, the "Japan-China Trade Promotion Parliamentarians' Union," was formed in 1952 — before diplomatic ties existed. The union is currently chaired by LDP Secretary-General Moriyama Hiroshi, TBS Television reported.

Some Japanese associations are now calling for maintaining contact and expanding exchanges with China. This likely stems from the pressure they feel domestically and internationally, and from a recognition that deeper engagement is indispensable, Sun Ming, vice president of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Sun stressed that it is essential for these groups to clearly convey Japan's genuine intentions and current position in their communications with China. "If the Japanese side continues to maintain its previous posture and refuses to retract the erroneous remarks, such exchanges will not be effective," she said.

Takaichi claimed at a Diet meeting on November 7 that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan. She refused to retract her remarks which imply the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Straits.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has repeatedly urged Takaichi to withdraw her erroneous statements. At a regular press briefing, spokesperson Mao Ning said that "Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan have fundamentally eroded the political foundation of China-Japan relations and triggered strong outrage and condemnation from the Chinese people. China seriously urges Japan to retract the erroneous remarks, stop making provocations on issues concerning China, take practical steps to admit and correct the wrongdoing, and uphold the political foundation of China-Japan relations."