Japan Foreign Minister to Hold Talks in Beijing Amid Protests

April 17 (Bloomberg) -- Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura flew to Beijing during a third weekend of antiJapan protests in China, as concern mounts that a widening rift in relations may hurt trade with Japan's biggest export market.Machimura is scheduled to hold talks this afternoon with counterpart Li Zhaoxing as both sides blame the other for attacks on Japanese diplomatic missions and businesses in Shanghai and other cities. Japan's Trade Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said the demonstrations raise concerns among international companies about investing in China. China, with Hong Kong, surpassed the U.S. last year as Japan's main trading partner for the first time. Trade with China totaled 22.2 trillion yen ($206 billion) last year, accounting for a fifth of Japan's total.