By Seima Oki

8:00 JST, July 12, 2025

As Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is reported to be in a difficult situation heading into the House of Councillors election on July 20, moves to support the Ishiba administration are noticeable from the administration of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

On June 29, just before the July 3 announcement of the upper house election, the Chinese government announced that it would resume imports of Japanese seafood products to China. Seafood products from 10 prefectures, including Fukushima, will remain subject to the embargo, but seafood products from the other 37 prefectures will now be able to be imported. Imports are expected to resume around August or sooner. The Japanese and Chinese governments agreed on procedures for resuming imports in late May, and this can be said to be the result of smooth progress in their talks, but the timing of the announcement just before the election also reveals China’s political intentions. A source familiar with the inner workings of the Chinese government said, “This is indirect support for the Ishiba administration.” China sent Vice Premier He Lifeng, a close aide to Xi, to China’s National Day at the Osaka Kansai Expo on July 11. He discussed the progress of Japan-China cooperation with LDP Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama and other Japanese officials.

China has viewed the Ishiba administration, which was inaugurated in October last year, as a very easy partner to work with. Sanae Takaichi, the former minister for economic security who competed with Ishiba for the post of LDP president last year, has a strong conservative tone, visiting Yasukuni Shrine every year, and China judged that there would be no room for progress in Japan-China........

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