The private sector has a key role in the efforts to rebuild mutual trust between Japan and China as political disputes begin to affect economic relations, experts from the two countries said at a recent symposium in Tokyo.
The diplomatic standoff over the Senkaku Islands last year triggered massive anti-Japanese demonstrations in Chinese cities. And while bilateral ties have repeatedly been strained over political issues for many years, last year saw visible losses in economic relations — although it was also partly due to the slowing growth of the Chinese economy.
Speaking at the event organized by the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), the China-Japan Friendship Association and the Keizai Koho Center on March 5, the scholars stressed the importance of more private-sector exchanges as the recent developments point to a widening gap in public sentiments between the two countries.
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