Japan: Keidanren Announces on October 26 Postponement of November China Inspection Tour, Citing Reception Difficulties Due to Large Local Events
The Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) announced on October 26 that it would postpone an inspection tour to China originally scheduled for November, and said it would re-coordinate a suitable time for the dispatch. Keidanren explained that a large event will be held locally during the inspection period, making it difficult to ensure a reception system, and therefore decided to postpone. Under the original plan, the inspection tour would have consisted of a small team at the working level of Japanese companies, aiming to inspect the latest developments in advanced technology and industrial clusters in Chinese regions. Keidanren Chairman Yoshinobu Tsutsui said at a regular press conference in late September that he hoped to find opportunities for exchanging views through various channels. Japan-China economic exchanges have had their ups and downs in recent years: a visit to China planned for January 2026 by three organizations including Keidanren was also postponed; in June of the same year, Keidanren Vice Chairman Masakazu Kubota and others visited China, and by the end of September, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya visited China in his capacity as chairman of the Japan International Trade Promotion Association, with Japanese business circles continually looking for entry points to improve relations. The postponement of this inspection tour is an adjustment at the scheduling level; Keidanren has not announced a cancellation but said it will dispatch the tour at another time. Observers note that on-the-ground inspections at the corporate level are of practical significance for grasping regional industrial trends, technology cooperation opportunities and supply chain changes; the postponement disrupts the original rhythm but does not amount to an interruption of exchanges. The key going forward is whether the two sides can agree on a new visit date soon, and whether working-level exchanges can proceed smoothly within the new time window.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 东京丸之内商务区（资料图）。摄影：Asanagi，CC0，取自 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: Marunouchi business district, Tokyo (file photo). Credit: Asanagi, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
