Senior Defense Ministry and Self-Defense Forces officials have conveyed their serious concerns to a delegation from China's military over its increasing activities near Japan, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani has said.
The move came at Tuesday's meeting between Japanese defense officials, including Taro Yamato, director-general of the ministry's Defense Policy Bureau, and the delegation from the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, which covers Taiwan and other areas in the East China Sea, Nakatani said Friday.
The delegation visited Japan for five days through Friday, during which it inspected the SDF Central Hospital in Tokyo and the Maritime SDF base in Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture. It was the first such visit in five years.
"It is very meaningful to have frank talks and communication at the commander level," Nakatani told a news conference, suggesting that his ministry will also consider a visit to China by senior SDF officials.
Nakatani and his Chinese counterpart agreed at a meeting last November on the significance of dialogue and exchanges between the two countries' defense authorities.
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