Japan will not send govt officials to Beijing Winter Olympics
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Japan plans to send Tokyo 2020 Games president Seiko Hashimoto as well as the heads of the Japanese Olympic and Paralympic committees.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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TOKYO (REUTERS) - Japan will not send government officials to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, it said on Friday (Dec 24), a move that stops short of joining a US-led diplomatic boycott of the Games, but one nonetheless likely to deepen tension with China.
The boycott, driven by Washington and including some of its allies, has become another delicate issue for Japan, a close partner of the United States that also has strong economic ties to China.
Tokyo will not send a government delegation to the Games set to start in February, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a news briefing.
Instead, the government plans to send officials with direct ties to the Games, including Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto as well as the heads of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) and the Japanese Paralympic Committee (JPC) to the Winter Games.
The United States and other Western countries have announced a diplomatic boycott of the Games over concerns about human rights in China, but Japan has so far taken a softer tone.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said this month he does not plan to attend the Games, which are due to start in February.
The issue illustrates Tokyo's delicate position as a close ally of the US that is also heavily reliant on China for trade and as a manufacturing base.
Mr Kishida has faced rising pressure within his ruling Liberal Democratic Party to take a tougher stance on China, public broadcaster NHK said.
