Japan PM Says Raised ‘Serious Concerns’ With Xi on South China Sea, Xinjiang

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (L) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the Japan-China summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Gyeongju on October 31, 2025. (Photo by JAPAN POOL / JIJI PRESS / AFP) / JAPAN OUT

Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Friday she raised “serious concerns” about the South China Sea, Hong Kong and Xinjiang in a “candid” first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Xi, in turn, told Japan’s first woman prime minister, long seen as a China hawk, at the talks in South Korea that he hopes her government will have a “correct understanding” of his country, according to state media.

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