Japan on Tuesday delivered what amounted to its toughest words yet to China on the issue of Hong Kong, after Beijing reportedly passed a sweeping national security law for the city that Tokyo said would shake international faith in the ¡°one-country, two-systems¡± principle.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, speaking at a regular news briefing, called the move ¡°regrettable,¡± noting that it had come in the face of ¡°strong concerns from the international community and citizens of Hong Kong.¡±

¡°The enactment of the national security law undermines the credibility of the ¡®one-country, two-systems¡¯ principle,¡± Suga said, adding that Japan would continue to cooperate with concerned countries on appropriate responses.