Ruling party lawmakers, citing concerns over Beijing's crackdown on Hong Kong, are urging the government to consider withdrawing its invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state visit to Japan.
Two groups from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party submitted a resolution to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Friday, expressing "serious concern" over the situation in the semiautonomous former British colony.
The resolution called on the government to "carefully consider" whether the visit should still go ahead, underscoring the views of conservative LDP members, who have been critical of China's poor human rights record and continued assertiveness in waters surrounding the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands. The uninhabited islets are also claimed by China, where they are known as the Diaoyu.