China Sanctions Japanese Lawmaker

(MENAFN) China’s Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that it is enforcing sanctions on Japanese legislator Seki Hei for propagating "fallacies" concerning Taiwan and other bilateral disputes.

Hei, who serves in the House of Councilors of Japan’s National Diet, was born in China and later naturalized as a Japanese citizen. He is also recognized by his Chinese name, Shi Ping.

According to the ministry, Hei has been a persistent critic of the Chinese Communist Party and has consistently spread "fallacies" regarding Taiwan, the Diaoyu Islands (Senkaku Islands), and the regions of Xinjiang, Xizang, and Hong Kong.

Additionally, Hei has publicly visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which is linked to Japan’s wartime history.

The ministry stated that such visits seriously breach the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan and the one-China principle, amount to grave interference in China’s internal matters, and severely damage China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Yasukuni Shrine, constructed in 1869 by Emperor Meiji, commemorates Japanese soldiers who died in conflicts since the Meiji Restoration.

It currently honors approximately 2.5 million war dead, including 14 individuals convicted of war crimes during World War II.

Visits to the shrine have long fueled diplomatic tensions between Japan and neighboring countries, particularly South Korea and China, both of which view these acts as indications of Japan’s insufficient acknowledgment of its wartime history.

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