The China Daily says the vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, Guo Boxiong, has canceled his plans to visit Japan.

The state-run English language newspaper reported about Guo's plans after China’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed the vice chairman wouldn't be making the trip.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura also confirmed the senior Chinese military official’s cancellation, saying that it would be difficult for Guo to visit Japan in the near future.

Guo was originally scheduled to visit Japan in mid-April, but he delayed the trip due to North Korea’s rocket launch on April 13th.

The cancellation is seen as China’s expression of protest over Tokyo’s hosting a meeting of the World Uyghur Youth Congress and a territorial dispute involving a group of islands in the East China Sea, which are known as “Diaoyu” in Chinese and “Senkaku” in Japanese.