BEIJING (Kyodo) China disrupted an overseas broadcast by NHK on Tuesday evening about a visit to Japan by Uighur rights leader Rebiya Kadeer.
China's censorship of NHK's News 7 program reflects China's "strong dissatisfaction" with Japan for letting Kadeer into the country. Beijing accuses her of masterminding the July 5 riots in Xinjiang. Kadeer arrived in Tokyo earlier Tuesday.
"We express strong dissatisfaction over the Japanese government bent on allowing (Kadeer) to visit Japan to engage in anti-China separatist activities despite China's repeated and solemn representations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.
The Japanese government said Kadeer's three-day visit at the invitation of the nongovernment sector was approved in line with relevant laws.
Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Kazuo Kodama dismissed speculation that her visit will affect ties between Tokyo and Beijing.
"As the Japanese government, we approved the visa application for her visit to Japan and issued the visa in line with relevant laws and based on the usual procedure," Kodama told a news conference.
Kadeer, who is in self-imposed exile in Washington, is not scheduled to meet government officials during her trip, according to Kodama.
He said China has told Japan it is paying "strong attention" to the visit and that he explained to China how Japan is handling the matter.
Beijing has accused Kadeer of masterminding the bloody riots in Urumqi that left at least 192 people dead and 1,800 others injured. Kadeer has denied the accusations, insisting that China's decades-long repression of the Uighur ethnic minority caused the unrest.
