China’s PLA Delegation Visits Japan for First Time in 5 Years Under Sasakawa Peace Foundation’s Exchange Program
A delegation of 20 senior field officers of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of the Chinese Communist Party arrived in Tokyo on May 14 for a week of exchanges with their Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) counterparts.
This was the first PLA mission to visit Japan in five years under the program organized by the Sasakawa Japan-China Friendship Fund of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF), The Nippon Foundation’s partner organization.
Speaking at a reception held at a Tokyo hotel on May 16, I welcomed the delegation, saying: “Geographically, Japan and China are inseparable neighbors. In the turbulent international situation, they may sometimes encounter political issues. But it is important for JSDF and PLA field officers to visit and see each other’s country at first hand and promote mutual understanding.”
SPF President Atsushi Sunami underscored the increasing importance of the exchange program between Japanese and Chinese senior officers under the current international situation.
Major General Zhang Baoqun, deputy chief of the Office for International Military Cooperation of the Chinese Central Military Commission, stated that the exchange program will “contribute to promoting mutual understanding between a new generation of the two countries’ young leaders in the field of national security,” adding: “I came to Japan determined to cement the foundation of developing the relations between China and Japan.”
After arriving in Tokyo, the Chinese group visited the Japanese Defense Ministry to pay a courtesy call on Vice Minister for International Affairs Kiyoshi Serizawa and exchanged views on building mutual trust between JSDF and PLA officers through the exchange program. The Chinese officers then went on to the National Institute for Defense Studies, the ministry’s think tank, for discussions on national security issues of mutual concern.
Later during the weeklong visit, the Chinese delegation toured the Komaki Air Base of the Air Self-Defense Force near Nagoya, central Japan, and the Maizuru Naval Base of the Maritime Self-Defense Force on the Sea of Japan coast northwest of Kyoto. The defense equipment they inspected included a C-130H transport aircraft and the Hiuchi, a Hiuchi-class auxiliary multipurpose support ship.
To deepen their understanding of Japanese history and culture, the Chinese officers also toured Daitoku-ji Temple in Kyoto, known for its close associations with the tea ceremony, Amanohashidate in northern Kyoto Prefecture, one of Japan’s three most celebrated scenic spots, as well as the Printing Museum, Tokyo, run by Toppan Printing Co., to learn about the art of printing through exhibits and workshops.
Since 2001, the Sasakawa Japan-China Friendship Fund of the SPF has undertaken the Japan-China Field Officer Exchange program of annual exchange visits between field officers of JSDF and PLA.
Under the project, a total of 268 Chinese officers have made 13 tours to Japan while 165 of their Japanese counterparts have made 14 trips to China. Mutual visits were suspended in 2012 due to the deterioration of bilateral political relations and resumed in 2018, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced a four-year hiatus.
With COVID-19 restrictions lifted in both countries, a group of 13 SDF field officers visited China between July 16 and 24, 2023, to engage with their PLA counterparts under the program.
A reciprocal visit by PLA officers to Japan that had been set for the fall of last year was called off when Beijing expressed displeasure over Japan’s decision to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power complex into the sea.
At the welcome reception, I was pleased to have the opportunity to talk with female PLA officers. I hope a JSDF mission will include female officers when it visits China this autumn.
With female PLA officers. I hope a delegation of the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) will include female officers when it visits China this autumn.