Statement calling on the Japanese Government to stop sending government representatives to the Beijing Winter Olympics and on China to stop its human rights repression

Ahead of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China’s human rights issues have come into focus. It’s human rights abuses in Tibet and Uyghur, which were highlighted at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing are being exacerbated. In addition, China’s repression of Hong Kong’s democrats, its ethnic assimilation policy in Southern Mongolia, and its intimidation of Taiwan by military force are all examples of China’s unrelenting oppression.

The diplomatic boycott of the Olympics by the United States and other countries is a powerful message from the international community that the Chinese government’s crackdown on human rights cannot be tolerated any longer.

There are many of problems between Japan and China. China claims ownership of the Senkaku Islands, a territory belonging to Japan, and armed vessels sent by the Chinese authorities continue to violate our territorial waters. In the South China Sea, China has repeatedly claimed that the entire area is Chinese territory, and has been reclaiming atolls and building military fortifications to intimidate neighboring countries.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry insists that “China supported the Tokyo Olympics. Japan should have faith in the Beijing Olympics and reciprocate support,” but the human rights issue is a completely different matter.

President Xi Jinping is aiming to use the success of the Olympics as a springboard for a five-year extension of his term at next autumn’s Communist Party congress. There are fears that China will then take steps to reunify Taiwan. The Olympics, a festival of peace, should not be used to promote the national prestige of a dictatorship.

Japan is based on freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The government should urge China to follow the rules of the international community and cancel the dispatch of government representatives to the forthcoming Winter Olympics Beijing. The Diet should also urgently pass a resolution condemning China, which it failed to do in the ordinary session of the Diet, and vigorously demand that the Chinese government fundamentally resolve these issues.

December 17, 2021

Keiji Furuya, Chairman, Japan Council of Parliamentarians

Tadae Takubo, Chairman, Japan Council