China Sanctions Japanese Lawmaker Furuya

Beijing, March 30 (Jiji Press)–The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Monday that the country will impose sanctions on Keiji Furuya, a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party who heads a suprapartisan group of Japanese lawmakers seeking closer ties with Taiwan, effective immediately. The sanctions, based on China’s anti-foreign sanctions law, include a ban on entry into the country, including Hong Kong and Macau, and on exchanges and transactions with organizations and individuals in China as well as a freeze on his assets in China. The ministry said that Furuya colluded with Taiwanese independence forces, violated the “one China” principle and violently interfered in Chinese internal affairs. Furuya has frequently visited Taiwan in his capacity as head of the lawmakers’ group. As recently as March 16, he traveled to the self-governing island to meet with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. China will impose the sanctions as an example, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a press briefing. Since September, China has imposed similar sanctions on another Japanese lawmaker, Seki Hei, and Shigeru Iwasaki, former chief of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces’ Joint Staff who currently serves as a political adviser to the executive branch of Taiwan’s government. Beijing has strongly lashed out against remarks made in November by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about a potential Taiwan conflict. It has condemned an incident in which an SDF ember was arrested Tuesday after trespassing at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]