On October 19, Yuan Mindao, Vice President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), met with a delegation of friendly individuals from four prefectures within the consular district of the Consulate-General of China in Niigata at the CPAFFC. The delegation was led by Kokubun Kenichi, Vice President of the Fukushima Prefecture Japan-China Friendship Association.

Yuan Mindao noted that China and Japan are important, close neighbors separated by a narrow strip of water. Over the past five decades since the normalization of diplomatic relations in 1972, the two countries have achieved significant progress in friendly exchanges and cooperation across various fields, delivering tangible benefits to the two countries and their peoples. He expressed his gratitude to the representatives of Japan-China friendship organizations from Niigata, Fukushima, Miyagi and Yamagata prefectures for their long-standing dedication to fostering China-Japan friendly exchanges and cooperation, as well as their invaluable contributions to China-Japan friendship. Yuan expressed hope to continue working closely with these organizations and other like-minded individuals in Japan to further enhance the bonds between the two countries.

Kokubun Kenichi expressed gratitude for the invitation extended by the Consulate-General of China in Niigat. He stated that the delegation aimed to gain deeper insights into China's latest achievements in economic and social development and to apply these learnings to their future endeavors in promoting Japan-China friendship. He emphasized their commitment to advancing diverse fields of friendly exchanges and cooperation between the four prefectures and China.

Representatives of friendly individuals from the four prefectures introduced themselves and shared updates on the state of Japan-China friendly exchanges in their respective regions.

Zhang Xiaoping, Deputy Director-General of the Department of East Asian Affairs, also attended the meeting.