MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Hong Kong: Japan drops out from a US, UK, Australia and Canada critical statement of Beijing

Tokyo separately issued a statement on May 28, saying it was “seriously concerned” about the move

Japan will not join the United States, Britain and others in issuing a statement scolding China for imposing a new security law, Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday, citing officials from countries involved

The United Kingdom, the US, Australia and Canada condemned China on May 28 for imposing a law that they said would threaten freedom and breach a 1984 Sino-British agreement on the autonomy of the former colony.

Tokyo separately issued a statement on May 28, the day China's parliament approved the national security legislation, saying the nation was “seriously concerned” about the move, which observers fear could endanger Hong Kong's special autonomy and freedoms.

Tokyo is in a complicated position amid tension between China and the US over the Hong Kong issue as Japan plans Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit, which was scheduled for early April but has been postponed because both leaders have agreed to prioritize containing the COVID-19 outbreak.