Senkaku Islands dispute
Shinichi Nishimiya was appointed as Japan's Ambassador to China in 2012. He was designated to replace outgoing Ambassador Uichiro Niwa, a former chairman of Itochu. Nishimiya's appointment came at a critical time in relations between China and Japan due to an escalation in tensions over the Senkaku Islands dispute and the ongoing 2012 China anti-Japanese demonstrations.