China sanctions Japanese lawmaker for spreading 'fallacies'

ANKARA

China’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that it is imposing sanctions on Japanese lawmaker Seki Hei for spreading "fallacies" about issues related to Taiwan and other disputes between the two countries.

Hei, a member of the House of Councilors of the National Diet of Japan, is a China-born naturalized Japanese citizen who is also known by his Chinese name Shi Ping.

He has been a vocal critic of the Chinese Communist Party and has long been spreading "fallacies" on issues related to Taiwan, the Diaoyu Islands (Senkaku Islands) and the Xinjiang, Xizang and Hong Kong regions, the ministry said.

Hei has also openly visited the controversial war-linked Yasukuni Shrine, which seriously violates the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan and the one-China principle, constitutes a grave interference in China's internal affairs and severely undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, it added.

The Yasukuni Shrine was built in 1869 by Emperor Meiji and was dedicated to the Japanese soldiers who died in the wars since the Meiji restoration. It now honors 2.5 million war dead, including 14 convicted war criminals from World War II.

The shrine has long been a source of diplomatic tension between Japan and its neighbors, particularly South Korea and China, which view visits as a sign of Japan’s failure to fully acknowledge its wartime past.

The sanctions against Hei include the freezing of movable and immovable properties and other types of assets within the territory of China; the prohibition of organizations and individuals within the territory of China from engaging in transactions, cooperation and other activities with him and denial of visa issuance and entry into China (including Hong Kong and Macao) for him and his immediate family members.

The decision takes effect Monday.