The head of the Chinese diplomatic mission in Tokyo sent a request to meet Kishida in late January on the eve of his departure. However, the head of the Japanese government refused, citing a difficult work schedule. This incident is exceptional. As a general rule, the Japanese prime minister does not avoid audiences with the heads of foreign diplomatic missions before his departure from Japan. To alleviate the situation, Kong Xuanyu was received by the Japanese Foreign Minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi.
According to some reports, when the Japanese ambassador in Beijing left his post and returned to Tokyo, he was not received by Chinese President Xi Jinping or other high-ranking Chinese officials. It is possible that the Japanese side decided to respond symmetrically and therefore refused to meet Chinese Ambassador Kong Xuan with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
It should be noted that the friction between Tokyo and Beijing takes place against the backdrop of an important date: the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Japan-China Peace and Friendship Treaty.