**Ongoing strains in Japan-China relations, rooted in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s November 2025 remarks linking a Taiwan contingency to Japan’s security interests, continue to shape prospects for a leader-level meeting with President Xi Jinping.** Their only prior summit occurred on the sidelines of the October 2025 APEC meeting in Gyeongju, where both sides reaffirmed interest in a “mutually beneficial strategic relationship” amid frank exchanges on security, Taiwan, and economic issues. Tensions have persisted, with Beijing maintaining economic measures and narrative pressure, while Tokyo emphasizes its U.S. alliance—evident in Takaichi’s September 2026 calls and meetings with President Trump following the Trump-Xi Washington summit. Upcoming multilateral forums, including the November 2026 APEC summit in Shenzhen and the G20 in Miami, represent the most plausible venues for any encounter, though no bilateral plans have been announced and structural frictions remain the dominant factor influencing trader assessments of near-term outcomes.