Photo/Illutration Hiroshi Moriyama, left, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and Makoto Nishida, right, the junior coalition partner Komeito’s secretary-general, meet on Jan. 14 with Liu Jianchao, head of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee’s International Department, in Beijing. (Pool)

BEIJING—In a first step toward improving bilateral ties, ruling coalition lawmakers met with Chinese officials on Jan. 14 here as part of the first exchange between party officials in more than six years 

Hiroshi Moriyama, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and Makoto Nishida, the junior coalition partner Komeito’s secretary-general, met with Liu Jianchao, head of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee’s International Department.

While Moriyama said he hoped the meeting would serve as the opening of a new chapter in exchange between the ruling parties, he also brought up concerns that Beijing was not moving quickly enough to lift the ban on Japanese seafood imports.

The ban was put in place after treated radioactive water was released into the ocean from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in 2023.

Nishida also urged his Chinese counterparts to work toward improving the situation surrounding the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

While Liu said the meeting was an important first step toward promoting the improvement and development of bilateral ties, he did not go into details about what Beijing would do considering the issues raised by the Japanese side.

Because the Chinese Communist Party controls the administrative, legislative and judicial branches of government, it places high importance on exchanges with ruling parties of other nations.

But there may be limits to what can be achieved through contact with the ruling coalition since it does not hold a majority in the Lower House.

The latest round of meetings augments the November meeting between Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit as well as the December visit to Beijing by Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.

In their visit to Beijing, the Japanese party officials also met with Wang, the foreign minister, as well as Wang Huning, head of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.