While the diplomatic feud between Saudi Arabia and Canada is getting uglier, its news coverage in Tokyo has been relatively small. An AFP-Jiji article in Japanese from Riyadh was concise but not detailed. The headline was "Saudi Arabia, furious about request for release of human rights activists, expels Canadian ambassador."
The article goes like this: Saudi Arabia expelled Canada's ambassador, recalled its own envoy and froze all new trade and investments after Ottawa publicly demanded the "immediate release" of human rights campaigners jailed in the kingdom. A furious Riyadh also moved to pull thousands of Saudi students out of Canadian universities.
Moreover, state airline Saudia, the article continues, suspended flights to Toronto, and the kingdom pledged to stop all medical treatment programs in Canada. The move illustrates how the oil-rich kingdom is unwilling to brook any criticism — foreign or domestic — under its young crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.