TOKYO – Japan’s foreign minister has called on his Chinese counterpart to take steps to improve human rights conditions for Uighurs and stop crackdowns in Hong Kong, according to a Japanese official report of an appeal between officials.
The unusually strong message from Tokyo comes shortly before Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga travels to the United States for a summit with President Biden on April 16.
Japan is usually wary of upsetting Beijing, which is its largest trading partner. Tokyo is a close ally of Washington, but did not join the United States and a few other nations in March to impose sanctions on China over the repression of its Uighur Muslim majority.
During a 90-minute phone call on Monday, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi expressed concern with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi about the continued presence of armed Chinese Coast Guard vessels around the islands in the East China Sea. controlled by Tokyo, but claimed by Beijing.
In a statement after the appeal, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Mr. Wang opposed Japan’s intervention in matters involving the Xinjiang region, where rights groups called for the repression of Uyghurs and Hong Kong and called on Japan to respect the country’s internal affairs. China.