Japan voices ‘grave concerns’ about jailing of Hong Kong activists

Hong Kong authorities on Wednesday sentenced prominent democracy activists Joshua Wong to more than 13 months in prison over an unlawful anti-government rally in 2019, the toughest sentence for an opposition figure this year.

Japan has “grave concerns” about the jailing of three Hong Kong activists and has conveyed its worries to China over the situation, chief government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said on Thursday.

Japan's Katsunobu Kato said during a press conference that Japan has “grave concerns” about the recent Hong Kong situation such as sentences against three activists. (Reuters)

Hong Kong authorities on Wednesday sentenced prominent democracy activists Joshua Wong to more than 13 months in prison over an unlawful anti-government rally in 2019, the toughest sentence for an opposition figure this year.

They also jailed Wong’s colleagues Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam for 10 and seven months, respectively. Chow speaks fluent Japanese and is well-known in Japan.

“Japan increasingly has grave concerns about the recent Hong Kong situation such as sentences against three including Agnes Chow,” Kato told a regular news conference.

“We have conveyed our concerns to China about Hong Kong at various opportunities,” he said.