Former Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi (岩屋 毅) visited China on 28–29 September and held talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi (王毅) and others. Meanwhile, defamatory remarks targeting Iwaya were seen repeatedly on social media, and Diet member Taira Masaaki (平 将明) was also reported to have expressed sympathy.
Against the backdrop of Japan-China relations, which had cooled following remarks last year about a Taiwan contingency, former Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi (岩屋 毅) visited China as chairman of the Japan-China Association for the Promotion of International Trade. He held talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi (王毅) and, on the 29th, Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), seeking an opening for dialogue. Iwaya was said to have shown a positive stance toward economic and private-sector exchanges, and exchanges intended to revitalize economic ties between Japan and China moved forward. Keidanren Chairman Tsutsui Yoshinobu (筒井 義信), in turn, gave the visit a highly positive assessment and expressed an intention to continue communication across a broad range of fields. The government also emphasized the importance of multilayered dialogue, while acknowledging the challenges in Japan-China relations.
Meanwhile, baseless speculation, including claims that Iwaya was “pro-China” or involved in a “honey trap,” spread one after another on social media. Discussion also resurfaced about a past intrusion into accommodation linked to Iwaya. These remarks were reportedly spreading in connection with criticism related to China that had continued since the Ishiba Cabinet.
The person who expressed sympathy over the visit was Lower House member Taira Masaaki (平 将明). Regarding Iwaya’s bringing business leaders to China, he said, “It’s pitiful to be told things that never happened.” Although he said there were circumstances surrounding the intrusion incident, he stated that the details could not be disclosed and expressed the view that unfounded claims should be avoided. In Diet testimony, Iwaya himself described the woman who entered the accommodation as mentally unstable.