Oct 31, 2025
By: Alp Uyghur
Key Points
- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told Chinese President Xi Jinping she has “serious concerns” about the South China Sea, Hong Kong and Xinjiang. (France 24)
- The concerns were voiced during a meeting — signalling Tokyo’s growing willingness to publicly challenge Beijing on human-rights and maritime issues. (sg.news.yahoo.com)
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Friday said she raised “serious concerns” with Chinese President Xi Jinping concerning maritime tensions in the South China Sea and human-rights issues in Uyghur homeland. The remarks came during a diplomatic engagement between Japan and China aimed at managing increasingly fraught bilateral relations. “We expressed serious concerns regarding actions in the South China Sea, as well as the situations in Hong Kong and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,” Takaichi said.
Xi told Takaichi that he hoped Japan would maintain the “general direction of peaceful, friendly and cooperative bilateral relations” and emphasized that Tokyo should follow and honor agreed-upon provisions on major issues, including historical matters, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
Trump did not raise the Uyghur genocide during his meeting with Xi Jinping, leaving Japan’s Prime Minister as the only world leader to publicly address Uyghur human rights with the Chinese president.
Tokyo’s direct reference to Uyghur human rights marks a notable shift in its public diplomatic posture toward Beijing, which historically has been more cautious in raising human-rights concerns.
About the Author
