China is using threats to silence critics in Japan 

Human Rights Watch report reveals harassment and intimidation against the Chinese diaspora

Beijing has used transnational harassment and intimidation to prevent Chinese people living in Japan from engaging in protests and activism, a Human Rights Watch report has revealed.

Most of the people interviewed by the NGO, including ethnic minorities from Xinjiang, Tibet, and Inner Mongolia, said they had been warned about criticizing the ruling Communist Party.

Chinese police have told relatives that family members in Japan should not take part in activities or peaceful protests that are critical of Beijing, the report said, adding:

Several ethnic Uyghurs from Xinjiang said that Chinese authorities contacted them through their relatives, and the police told them to either stop their anti-Chinese government activities in Japan or pressed them to share information about Japan’s Uyghur community.

While analysts pointed out that Beijing has not used physical violence to intimidate Chinese people in Japan, it is still able to deter them from continuing their activism abroad. Teppei Kasai, the Asia program officer at Human Rights Watch, told Voice of America by phone:

Beijing’s strategies targeting the Chinese diaspora community in Japan are sophisticated because while they keep their threats low-key – which is less likely to attract the Japanese government’s attention – it’s still enough to scare members of the diaspora community.

‘Sensitive issues’

Japanese experts stressed that the Communist Party’s transnational repression has created a chilling effect within the Chinese diaspora.

“More and more Chinese and Hong Kong people in Japan are minimizing their participation in public events,” Tomoko Ako, a China studies professor at the University of Tokyo, said, adding:

Especially those related to sensitive issues, because they are concerned about facing retaliation from the Chinese government.

The Chinese foreign ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Japan did not respond to VOA’s requests for comments.

In response to a similar question in August, the Chinese Embassy in Washington said that China “strictly abides by international law and fully respects the law enforcement sovereignty of other countries.”

Human Rights Watch report. Photo: Screenshot / Human Rights Watch

But Human Rights Watch stressed that Chinese authorities often try to intimidate activists abroad by targeting their family members in China.

In one case, an activist in Japan told the NGO that local police in Inner Mongolia interrogated his relatives, restricted their freedom of movement, and prevented them from getting their passports.

The incident happened after he took part in public protests against the Chinese government’s policy of replacing the Mongolian language with Mandarin at school.

The activist, who used the pseudonym AB because of security concerns, said the pressure his family members face has instilled a sense of guilt. He told Human Rights Watch:

My [relatives] tell me they’re afraid of the pressure they’re feeling, and that has been tough on me.

In another case, Hong Kong activist Alric Lee told VOA that his parents received a letter listing all the activities he had joined in Japan and demanded that they publicly apologize for “his wrongdoings.”

Public activities

“They were asked to apologize for what I’ve done in Japan and publicly renounce their relationship with me,” he said, adding that his parents asked him to stop his activism after receiving the letter.

Since it included detailed records of his activities in Japan, Lee said he thought the threat might have been initiated by the Hong Kong government.

In addition to his family being intimidated, Lee stated that he and other members of the Hong Kong diaspora have been followed by unknown individuals after organizing or taking part in public activities.

Lee said these threats have forced him to reevaluate the potential consequences of his activism in Japan. He told VOA:

I’m definitely thinking twice before taking part in activities, but since I don’t think I have done anything wrong, I don’t think I’ll change anything concerning my activism in Japan.

United Nations condemnation. Image: Courtesy of the United Nations

Despite the threats, some Chinese people told Human Rights Watch that they did not seek help from the Japanese police because of fear of reprisal.

“Some people said they think Japanese authorities can’t do much about what the Chinese police have done to them,” Kasai, of Human Rights Watch, told VOA, adding:

They feel that the Chinese government would find out if they tried to seek help from the Japanese police.

In a written response to VOA inquiries, the Japanese foreign ministry declined to comment on transnational repression against Chinese people and what Tokyo can do to safeguard their rights. Officials said both matters were related to “foreigners in Japan.”

Ako at the University of Tokyo said the Japanese government’s reluctance to comment on Beijing’s repression reflects Tokyo’s attempt to avoid increasing tensions between the two countries.

Transnational repression

“The Japanese government probably doesn’t want to heighten tensions with China, but I think it is their basic responsibility to comment on this concerning trend,” she told VOA.

Kasai pointed out that Japan and 54 other countries at the UN Human Rights Council condemned transnational repression and vowed to hold those responsible accountable.

“The Japanese police should try to create a system that allows Chinese people to report their experiences of facing transnational repression initiated by the Chinese government,” he told VOA. But the Japanese government should go even further. Ako said:

I think human rights should remain an important aspect of Japan’s bilateral engagement with China, so I believe Tokyo should try to raise the issue of Beijing’s transnational repression against Chinese people in Japan during bilateral meetings.

William Yang is a correspondent for Voice of America based in Taiwan.

This edited article is republished courtesy of Voice of America. Read the original article here.

The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the official policy of China Factor.