Japan's minister Iwaya in Beijing as trading partners try to iron out friction

JAPANESE foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya raised "serious concerns" on Wednesday over China's military buildup as he met counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing, Tokyo said.

On his first visit to China since becoming Japan's top diplomat earlier this year, Iwaya told Wang that Tokyo was "closely monitoring the Taiwan situation and recent military developments", according to his foreign ministry. Meeting with Wang at Beijing's opulent Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, he also "expressed serious concerns over the East China Sea situation, including around the Senkaku Islands (and) China's increasing military activity", Tokyo said.

Iwaya in addition called for the "swift release" of Japanese nationals detained by Chinese authorities.