BEIJING ¨C China announced sanctions on Monday against a Japanese lawmaker over his visits to Taiwan, as Beijing and Tokyo lock horns in a monthslong diplomatic row.
Relations between China and Japan have deteriorated since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attempt by Beijing to seize Taiwan.
Beijing considers self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take control of the island, threatening countermeasures against diplomatic engagement with Taipei.
Keiji Furuya, a lawmaker from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Takaichi ally, is banned from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau starting?Monday, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.
He made ¡°multiple runs to Taiwan in defiance of China¡¯s strong opposition ... seriously undermining China¡¯s sovereignty and territorial integrity,¡± the statement said.
The announcement comes after Furuya met Taiwan President Lai Ching-te in Taipei this month, when the 73-year-old lawmaker stated Takaichi¡¯s comments ¡°maintain the Japanese government¡¯s previous position and are not problematic.¡±
Furuya was previously the minister in charge of dealing with North Korea¡¯s abductions of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and ¡¯80s, and the head of the National Public Safety Commission.
Since Takaichi¡¯s remarks about Taiwan, Beijing has imposed economic pressure on Tokyo and discouraged Chinese nationals from visiting Japan.
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