Should China pass a national security law for Hong Kong, Tokyo is coordinating to step up its representations to Beijing by expressing "regret" -- the government's second harshest wording after "condemn" -- The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
Tokyo is set to show a harsher posture, venturing beyond the "grave concern" expressed in a joint statement by the Group of Seven nations on June 17 over China's decision to impose the law on Hong Kong.
China's national security law is designed to allow authorities to crack down on dissident activities such as those that aim at secession.
Japan's expression of regret at another state's actions is often used to address issues concerning direct national interest, such as the intrusion of official Chinese vessels into the territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture.
It is rare for Japan to use such wording toward other states over their policies, sources said.
"Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy based on 'one country, two systems' will be undermined," if the law is passed, said a high-ranking Japanese official. "This is an important issue in which Japan has also become a concerned party." About 1,400 Japanese companies are operating in Hong Kong.
Japan has been gradually issuing tougher statements on China over the national security law.
On May 22, when the National People's Congress began deliberating the introduction of the law, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Japan was "watching the issue with great interest." Suga then expressed "strong concern" at a press conference on May 25.
On May 28, the National People's Congress adopted the policy to introduce national security legislation in Hong Kong. Japan's Foreign Ministry summoned the Chinese ambassador to Japan the same day, telling him, "Japan is seriously concerned about the decision made."
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