Part 7/15:
Notably, PM Kishida wasted no time and immediately raised a series of contentious issues, including the sovereignty of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, China's restrictions on rare earth exports, the detention of Japanese citizens in China, Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea, the erosion of Hong Kong’s freedoms, human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and North Korea’s abductions of Japanese nationals. Remarkably, Kishida’s approach was direct and uncompromising—completely different from previous diplomatic restraint—signaling a new, more assertive Japanese posture.