The Chinese government on Monday confirmed that it has shuttered the Japanese division of the Asian Affairs Department in the foreign ministry, arguing that the closure is "normal."
"The Department of Asian Affairs of the foreign ministry recently underwent normal administrative adjustment," Hong Lei, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular press briefing on Monday.
"I would like to point out that there is no change to China's foreign policy toward Japan," Hong added.
Japanese media nikkei.com reported on Monday that the Chinese foreign ministry had shut down its Japanese affairs office and integrated it with the division for South Korea, North Korea and Mongolia.
The new office will be named the Northeast Asia office and will be led by Yang Yu, the former head of the Japanese division, nikkei.com reported.
Other offices will also be integrated soon, according to their geographic location, to create Southeast Asia and Southwest Asia offices.
The adjustment has sparked speculation in Japan, with some worrying that Sino-Japanese ties will be affected.
The concerns come after Japan enacted a new security bill on Saturday, which will allow its Self-Defense Forces to engage in battle with its allies, despite both international and domestic opposition.
"The Japanese media has over-interpreted the move of the Chinese foreign ministry. The adjustment is very normal and it is aimed at enhancing the efficiency of the diplomatic work," Zhang Lili, director of the International Studies Department at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.
"In fact, China-Japan diplomatic relations depends on the attitude and behavior of Japan on issues like wartime history," Zhang explained.
