Japanese Prime Minister Hayashi to meet Chinese counterpart in Beijing

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Japanese Prime Minister Hayashi to meet Chinese counterpart in Beijing

Hayashi will meet with his Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang, to express concerns about the recent situation in the East China Sea, including the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands, claimed by Beijing.

Hayashi is also seen requesting China to release a Japanese national in his 50 s detained by Chinese authorities this month.

Hayashi and Qin had a phone conversation last month.

At a meeting in November last year, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to strengthen bilateral communication to build constructive and stable relations.

The two leaders also confirmed that their countries would arrange Hayashi's early visit to China. Hayashi considered traveling to China late last year, but the trip was put off due to reasons on the side of China.

The man arrested in China is an employee of the Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma Inc. Beijing says he is suspected of violating the counter-espionage law.

At a news conference Tuesday, Hayashi said Tokyo was unable to make direct contact with the man.

During the planned trip to China, Hayashi is seen expressing concerns about China's repeated intrusions into Japanese waters around the Senkaku Islands and joint military activities with Russia near Japan.

He is expected to talk about a plan to put a hotline between Japanese and Chinese defense authorities into use, as well as the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.