TOKYO – Japan’s foreign minister called on his Chinese counterpart to take action to improve the human rights situation for Uyghurs and stop the crackdown in Hong Kong, according to an official Japanese account of a call between officials.
The unusually strong message from Tokyo comes shortly before Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga travels to the US on April 16 for a summit with President Biden.
Japan is generally wary of angering Beijing, which is its largest trading partner. Tokyo is a close ally of Washington, but did not join the US and several other countries in March to impose sanctions on China over the suppression of its predominantly Muslim Uyghur majority.
During Monday’s 90-minute phone call, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also expressed concerns to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi about the continued presence of armed Chinese coastguard ships around East China Sea islands controlled by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing.
In a statement following the call, China’s Foreign Ministry said Mr. Wang objected to Japan’s interference in cases involving the Xinjiang region, where rights groups claimed Uyghurs were being oppressed, and Hong Kong, and urged Japan to respect China’s internal affairs.