The Japanese government yesterday said it would not send representatives to the Beijing Olympics as it called on China to respect human rights and the rule of law.
Government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno did not describe the move as a diplomatic boycott — which has been announced by the US and others — but said there were “no plans” for officials to attend the Games.
“Japan believes it is important that common values shared by the international community, such as freedom, human rights and the rule of law, are also respected in China,” he said. “As Tokyo 2020 demonstrated to the world, the Olympics and the Paralympics are festivals of peace and sports.”
Photo: REUTERS
Australia, Canada, the UK and the Us this month announced diplomatic boycotts of the Beijing Olympics over what they consider to be widespread rights abuses by China, including against the Muslim Uighur minority.
Their boycott stops short of not sending athletes to the Games, which start on Feb. 4.
Beijing has said that the four nations would “pay the price” for the US-led campaign.
Japan, which hosted the Tokyo Olympics this year after the Games were postponed due to COVID-19, is in a tricky position as tensions simmer between the US and China, which are key trade partners.
Matsuno said that the decision had been made after “comprehensive” consideration, adding that Japan has held discussions with Chinese officials on human rights issues “at various levels.”
Tokyo 2020 Olympics Organizing Committee president Seiko Hashimoto and Japan Olympic Committee president Yasuhiro Yamashita would attend the Beijing Games.
“Hashimoto will attend to express gratitude and respect to the athletes and others who supported the Tokyo Games,” Matsuno said.
Japan Paralympic Committee president Kazuyuki Mori would attend the Beijing Winter Paralympics in March, he added.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) said Beijing “welcomes the Japanese Olympic Committee and other relevant officials, as well as Japanese athletes,” but urged “the Japanese side to honor promises to support each other in hosting the Olympic Games and to not politicize sports.”
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on Friday expressed concern over the rate at which China is diversifying its military exercises, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday. “The rates of change on the depth and breadth of their exercises is the one non-linear effect that I’ve seen in the last year that wakes me up at night or keeps me up at night,” Paparo was quoted by FT as saying while attending the annual Sedona Forum at the McCain Institute in Arizona. Paparo also expressed concern over the speed with which China was expanding its military. While the US
SHIFT: Taiwan’s better-than-expected first-quarter GDP and signs of weakness in the US have driven global capital back to emerging markets, the central bank head said The central bank yesterday blamed market speculation for the steep rise in the local currency, and urged exporters and financial institutions to stay calm and stop panic sell-offs to avoid hurting their own profitability. The nation’s top monetary policymaker said that it would step in, if necessary, to maintain order and stability in the foreign exchange market. The remarks came as the NT dollar yesterday closed up NT$0.919 to NT$30.145 against the US dollar in Taipei trading, after rising as high as NT$29.59 in intraday trading. The local currency has surged 5.85 percent against the greenback over the past two sessions, central