Japan wants to take lead on issuing G7 statement on Hong Kong, says PM Shinzo Abe

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament that Tokyo wants to take the lead on issuing a statement on China’s national security law affecting Hong Kong’s autonomy. Kyodo news agency had earlier reported that Japan decided not to join the US, UK, Australia and Canada in scolding China for the security law.

“Obviously, we acknowledge the G7 has a mission to lead the global public opinion and Japan wants to take a lead in issuing a statement based on ‘one nation, two systems’ in Hong Kong,” said Abe.

During a news conference, chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga had said that Japan expressed its opinion directly and promptly to China at a high level and made its opinion quite clear to international society. He added that country’s stance on China’s national security law has been praised by the US, Britain and other G7 nations.

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Joint statement

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. 

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.

Meanwhile, 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.

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(Image: Twitter / @JPN_PMO)