Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Keiji Furuya, a lawmaker of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, revealed Friday that he had received an email from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi calling Chinese sanctions against him a great honor. Furuya told reporters that he received the email in April, a month after China announced sanctions against him, including an entry ban, claiming that he had colluded with Taiwan independence forces. Furuya,who chairs a suprapartisan parliamentary group that promotes friendship between Japan and Taiwan, explained that Takaichi intended to communicate “the idea that being singled out and recognized by a superpower is itself an honor.” Furuya is scheduled to meet with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te during his visit to Taiwan from Friday. At a press conference the same day, Junya Ogawa, leader of the opposition Democratic Reform Party, criticized Takaichi’s email. “What was honorable about the sanctions?” Ogawa said, adding that the email called the prime minister’s judgment into question. “Such a misjudgment could undermine Japan’s national interests,” he warned. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
