Japan's Lawmakers Rap Rights Abuses In Xinjiang, HK

Japan's lower house on Tuesday adopted a rare resolution expressing concern over the human rights situations in China's Xinjiang region and Hong Kong, underscoring its focus on the issue just days before the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Photo Insert: An entrance to a school in Turpan, Xinjiang with a sign requesting people to speak Chinese.

While the House of Representatives resolution on "serious human rights situations" in Xinjiang and elsewhere did not directly blame China or use the term "human rights abuses," it demanded Beijing's accountability and called for the constructive involvement of the Japanese government.

"We regard changes to the status quo by force, symbolized in the serious human rights situations, as a threat to the international community," the resolution said.

It referred to the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region, Tibet, Inner Mongolia and Hong Kong among other areas, and noted the international community's concern over infringements of the freedom of religion and imprisonment in China.

The resolution also stressed that human rights issues go beyond the internal affairs of a country and are of interest to the entire international community, saying there are people who claim to be under oppression and that other countries are offering support to them in response.

The House of Councillors is expected to adopt a similar resolution after the Olympics, according to a senior member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

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