March 5, 2026
Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Tatsumi Kotaro, at a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting on March 4, revealed that the Chinese government has not paid the cost of constructing its pavilion for the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, demanding that the government take measures to resolve this issue.
According to the JCP lawmaker, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, a Chinese government agency, as the contractee to the China Pavilion was supposed to pay the construction fees to contractors soon after the completion of the construction work in April 2025, but failed to make any payment. He inquired whether the government is aware of the situation. Economy and Industry Minister Akazawa Ryosei in response said that the ministry is currently in the process of confirming the facts.
Tatsumi asked whether a foreign government, if it engages in a construction project in Japan, is required to comply with Japan’s construction industry laws. A bureaucrat of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Fujita Masakuni, replied that in this case, the law applies to foreign governments.
Tatsumi noted that the MLIT guidelines cited a case in which the client does not make the payment promptly to the contractor after the construction work based on the contract and the handover is completed as an “undesirable case” under the construction industry act. He asked, “Do I have this correct?” Fujita answered, “Yes, that’s right.”
Tatsumi stated, “It is clear that China’s non-payment poses a problem under the law. So, the government should urge the Chinese government to pay the construction fees to contractors without delay.” Economy and Industry Minister Akazawa in response expressed his intent to help solve individual issues by such means as encouraging relevant parties to take appropriate action.
According to the JCP lawmaker, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, a Chinese government agency, as the contractee to the China Pavilion was supposed to pay the construction fees to contractors soon after the completion of the construction work in April 2025, but failed to make any payment. He inquired whether the government is aware of the situation. Economy and Industry Minister Akazawa Ryosei in response said that the ministry is currently in the process of confirming the facts.
Tatsumi asked whether a foreign government, if it engages in a construction project in Japan, is required to comply with Japan’s construction industry laws. A bureaucrat of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Fujita Masakuni, replied that in this case, the law applies to foreign governments.
Tatsumi noted that the MLIT guidelines cited a case in which the client does not make the payment promptly to the contractor after the construction work based on the contract and the handover is completed as an “undesirable case” under the construction industry act. He asked, “Do I have this correct?” Fujita answered, “Yes, that’s right.”
Tatsumi stated, “It is clear that China’s non-payment poses a problem under the law. So, the government should urge the Chinese government to pay the construction fees to contractors without delay.” Economy and Industry Minister Akazawa in response expressed his intent to help solve individual issues by such means as encouraging relevant parties to take appropriate action.
