Japan FM to visit China amid friction over detained Japanese

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi says he will visit China this weekend for talks with his counterpart Qin Gang, becoming Japan’s first top diplomat to do so in more than three years amid growing frictions between the two countries including a recent flap over the detention of a Japanese national in Beijing. During the April 1-2 visit, Hayashi is expected to demand the release of the detained Japanese national, discuss security concerns in the region and ask China to act “responsibly” on global issues including Russia’s war on Ukraine.