Most Saturday morning papers reported from Beijing that former Chief Cabinet Secretary Kawamura met with the Chinese Communist Party’s No. 4 official on Friday and conveyed PM Abe’s wish to hold a bilateral summit with President Xi on the margins of the G20 summit to be held in Hangzhou in early September. Abe desires to discuss with Xi the global economy and international terrorism. Kawamura also expressed concern about Chinese patrol operations in the Senkaku vicinity.

In a related development, several Saturday papers reported that the PLA Navy conducted a naval exercise in the Sea of Japan on Friday, speculating that the drill involving numerous warships was intended to hold Japan in check. However, the Chinese reportedly explained that the drill was not directed at any specific country.