Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the door to communications with China remains open and Tokyo¡¯s goal of building a constructive, stable relationship with Beijing has been consistent through her two months in office.

¡°As neighboring countries, there do tend to be areas of concern and challenges, but that is precisely why communication on all levels, including at the leadership level, is so important,¡± Takaichi said Thursday in response to a question following a speech. ¡°We are open to all sorts of dialogue with China. We have not closed that door.¡±

Takaichi was speaking as a dispute with China over comments related to Taiwan she made in early November continues to simmer. At that time, Takaichi effectively said Japan¡¯s Self-Defense Forces could theoretically be deployed if China were to attack Taiwan, drawing a fierce response from Beijing that included limits on Chinese tourists traveling to Japan and public criticism of Takaichi.

Beijing instructed domestic travel agencies to reduce the number of people visiting Japan to 60% of levels to date, NTV reported Thursday, citing unidentified people.

¡°Even now, we are communicating on all sorts of levels,¡± she said. ¡°I will take the appropriate action to protect Japan¡¯s interests and protect the lives and honor of our people, while continuing that communication.¡±

Takaichi¡¯s response related to China came after a sweeping end-of-year address that largely focused on domestic economic issues ranging from fiscal policy to supply chains and the current business environment. U.S. tariffs have added a degree of uncertainty in the near future for business leaders, she said.

¡°It¡¯s important to create predictability for businesses to boost private investment,¡± she said.

The prime minister said it¡¯s also important to create a business environment in which businesses can boost wages sufficiently to outpace inflation. While nominal wages have risen at historic levels for many workers in the last two years, pay hasn¡¯t generally kept up with living costs. Real wages fell for a 10th straight month in October.

Takaichi said in response to another question that she hopes to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump as early as possible. Local media have reported her government is exploring a possible visit to the U.S. in March. That¡¯s after relative silence from the Trump administration regarding the Japan-China dispute.

Takaichi added that the U.S. has confirmed its commitment to the U.S.-Japan security alliance on various occasions, and that Japan was communicating with the U.S. through various channels.

¡°Perhaps sometime early next year? That¡¯s what I¡¯m imagining, but of course it will also depend on when parliament is in session,¡± she said.