MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th December, 2021) Japan's final decision about its participation in February 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games will be based on its national interests, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday.
On Monday, the United States announced it would boycott the Beijing Olympics, citing human rights abuses in China. The boycott does not rule out the participation of US athletes in the Games, but Washington will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the event. China decried the move as politicization of sports and pledged to take retaliatory measures.
"We would like to make our own decision from the standpoint of our national interests," he was quoted as saying by the Kyodo news agency.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi was cited as saying that the country will take into account allegations of human rights abuses in China and basic values of the international community, including rule of law and respect for human rights when deciding on an official representation in the Beijing Olympics.
China has been facing persistent criticism from several nations for allegedly violating rights of ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities living in the country, as well as the tensions over the independence aspirations of Hong Kong and Taiwan.
