A Japanese acting consul general has assumed his post in Chongqing, a Japanese government source said Wednesday, about eight months after the consul general post was left vacant amid a bilateral row over Taiwan.
Shigehiro Nishiumi, a former Japanese deputy consul general in Hong Kong, assumed the post at Japan’s diplomatic mission in the southwestern Chinese city on Aug. 4, the source said.
“Although his title is acting consul general, it has not affected services at the office,” the government source said.
There has been no head of the Japanese diplomatic mission in Chongqing since the previous occupant of the post, Mari Takada, became chief of the consulate general in Shenyang, northeastern China, on Dec. 5, according to its website.
The Japanese government had notified China of its plan to appoint Nishiumi as consul general, but Beijing has not given its consent. Japan will continue seeking China’s approval for the appointment, the source said.
Angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s parliamentary remarks last November suggesting Japan would act in the event of an attack on Taiwan, the self-ruled democratic island claimed by China, Beijing has been increasing pressure on Tokyo.
Japan has consulates general in five locations in mainland China, including Chongqing, and one in Hong Kong.