Japan, China to Resume Defense Exchanges

February 6, 2018

Beijing- Japan and China will resume an exchange program for young officers of the Self-Defense Forces and the People's Liberation Army as early as April, a leader of the operator of the program has said.

The Chinese side accepted the resumption, Yohei Sasakawa, honorary chairman of the Tokyo-based Sasakawa Peace Foundation told a press conference Monday.

The private sector-led program has been halted since tensions between the two countries heightened in 2012 over the Japanese government's purchase of some of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. The Japanese-administered islands are claimed by Beijing.

Sasakawa made the announcement after his meeting with senior PLA officials. Recently, the two countries' relations are improving.

During the meeting, participants agreed to build future-oriented relations between Japan and China, Sasakawa said.

Under the program, 10 to 20 field officers of the SDF and the PLA visited each other annually. Jiji Press