Photo: Screenshot

The new Japanese Ambassador to China, Hideo Tarumi, who is among the "China School" diplomats at Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will enter the country this week via East China's Qingdao before receiving two-week quarantine in Beijing amid the epidemic, the Global Times has learned. 

According to a source exclusive to the Global Times, Tarumi will enter China through the coastal city and then stay in quarantine for two weeks in Beijing in the ambassador's residence. 

Qingdao seems to be the only option for the new ambassador to come to China, the Global Times found. 

Under the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, direct flights between Tokyo and Beijing are still suspended. Japan has five consulates general in China - in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Chongqing and Qingdao. 

The Global Times found that flights between Tokyo and Shenyang have not resumed yet. Those from Tokyo to Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing all have to transfer in Qingdao, making the city the only option for the new ambassador to enter China. 

According to the Chinese Embassy in Japan, passengers have to take a COVID-19 nucleic acid test at centers designated by the embassy two days before the flights. They can only board planes with a paper health certificate issued by these centers. 

According to the source, Tarumi first has to take a nucleic acid test in Japan and a second test in Qingdao before being allowed to enter China. He will then undergo a two-week quarantine at the ambassador's residence in Beijing. 

The Global Times learned that Tarumi will present his credentials to the Chinese Foreign Ministry after quarantine and, according to usual practice, hold a press conference after he officially assumes office.

Tarumi comes from the Chinese language training program under Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs known as "China School", just like his predecessor Yutaka Yokoi. 

After reaching out to a number of both Chinese and Japanese diplomats, the Global Times was told that Tarumi is considered to be a leading "China school" expert in the Japanese foreign ministry. The diplomat is very familiar with affairs related to the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao SARs and Taiwan. 

His appointment as the new Japanese ambassador meets general expectations, and he is also very competent, some experts and diplomats noted, saying China-Japanese relations are expected to reach a higher level under his tenure. 

Tarumi is quite an active figure who has had contacts with many Chinese scholars and media on various occasions, and has a reputation for being shrewd and capable, the Global Times learned. 

Born in Osaka in May 1961, the 59-year-old studied in Nanjing University in 1986, can speak very fluent Chinese and has abundant experience in dealing with China. 

His appointment as ambassador marks Tarumi's fourth time working in Beijing. He previously worked for the embassy for the first time in 1989 as a secondary secretary. In 1995 he was appointed as the first secretary in the embassy, and in 2011 Tarumi worked in Beijing for the third time as an envoy of government affairs for the Japanese embassy. 

Besides his previous working experience in Beijing's embassy, the ambassador also served as a consul of the Japanese Consulate in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and general affairs director at the Taiwan office of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association. He was a senior offiical at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs before being appointed as the new ambassador to China.