Officials said Monday that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has yet to receive a written invitation from China for a Sept. 3 ceremony in Beijing to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Japan "has not yet received an invitation letter at this point," and that "nothing has been decided at this point" on o whether Abe will attend the ceremony.
Suga made the comments after Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping said Friday that Beijing has extended an official invitation to Abe to attend the ceremony but has yet to receive a response.
Suga declined to answer a reporter's question on whether the government has received a verbal invitation from China, which calls World War II the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.
He also said that nothing has been decided about whether Abe will visit China this fall.
Regarding the recent detention and questioning by the Chinese government of more than 100 rights lawyers and activists, Suga said that if reports on the crackdown are true, "we cannot help but be worried" and that Tokyo will closely monitor the situation.
"It is extremely important that universal values such as freedom, respect for basic human rights and the rule of law be guaranteed in China," he said.