Fast Retailing Co. Chairman and CEO Tadashi Yanai said Thursday that his company is keeping an eye on its cotton supply chain to ensure none of its products are made with forced labor in Xinjiang.

At a news conference to report its earnings results in Tokyo, Yanai said that his company, which runs the Uniqlo casual clothing chain, would immediately halt business with suppliers "if such a problem is found."

However, he declined further comment on human rights issues related to the Uyghur Muslim minority in China's far-western region, saying he wants to be "politically neutral" in operating his business.