Japan directly spoke to China on security law, praised by other G7 nations: Official

Japan’s chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said that country’s stance on China’s national security law has been praised by the US, Britain and other nations. During a news conference, Suga said that Japan expressed its opinion directly and promptly to China at a high level and made its opinion quite clear to international society.

Suga’s comment comes after a report by Kyodo news agency which said Japan decided not to join the US, UK, Australia and Canada in scolding China for the security law. Japan has been walking a tightrope on the issue since the island nation is preparing to host Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state visit. The visit was earlier planned for April but was postponed due to the coronavirus situation.

Joint statement criticising China

The United States, Britain, Canada and Australia had issued a joint statement on May 28 criticising the security bill. The signatories had expressed “deep concern” over the security law saying the international community has a significant and long-standing stake in Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability. 

Read: Japan Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimaru Warns Against Negative Rates

They claimed that China’s decision to impose the security law on Hong Kong is in direct conflict with its international obligations under the principles of the legally-binding, UN-registered Sino-British Joint Declaration. It said that direct imposition of national security legislation on Hong Kong by the Beijing authorities would dramatically erode Hong Kong’s autonomy and the system that made it so prosperous,

“It also raises the prospect of prosecution in Hong Kong for political crimes, and undermines existing commitments to protect the rights of Hong Kong people,” the statement read.

China’s National People’s Congress had presented a bill, later approved by the rubber-stamp parliament, aimed at “establishing and improving” the legal system of Hong Kong to “safeguard national security”. Wang Chen, Vice Chairman of China's NPC, had said that the recent protests and violence in the territory challenged the bottom line of the ‘One Country, Two Systems' principle and threatened national sovereignty, security and development interests.

Read: Japan Still In Recession, But Economy Shrank At Lower Rate