The Diplomat:

A delegation from the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) will visit China in July, while members of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will travel to Japan in September, Sasakawa Yohei, honorary chairman of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, a Japanese non-profit group that has organized the exchange, announced on May 30.

The military exchanges come amid strained bilateral relations over Taiwan and the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, which are administered by Japan but claimed by China.

Meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, for their annual summit on May 19-21, leaders from the Group of Seven (G-7) nations took a firmer stance on China’s assertive behavior in the East and South China Seas, with their communique declaring, “We strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.” China staunchly opposed the statement.

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