Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, On the Activities Concerning Japan by Demonstrators on the 16th in Shanghai and elsewhere in China

(Provisional Translation)
April 16, 2005

The Government of Japan strongly protests to the Government of the People's Republic of China that rioters taking part in a demonstration engaged themselves in acts of vandalism, such as throwing stones, PET bottles and excrement, to the Consulate General of Japan at Shanghai without prevention, despite the fact that information concerning demonstrations had been adequately known beforehand.

In another development, we have obtained unconfirmed information that rioters taking part in demonstrations are destroying Japanese cars and vandalizing Japanese restaurants in the city of Hangzhou, and we are alarmed that such affairs might expand to other localities in China.
Such action has been repeated in this month in various places in China on a weekly basis. Vandalism and violent acts cannot be justified for any reason whatsoever, and we solemnly condemn such activity. We strongly request the Chinese Government to ensure the safety of foreigners, including Japanese expatriates, as well as protect the normal activities of foreign enterprises and assure the safety of diplomatic and consular envoys, in accordance with its special responsibilities required by its obligation under international law to protect diplomatic missions and so on, and in accordance with relevant domestic legislature; at the same time we strongly request the Chinese Government to deal with this affair strictly, and to undertake prevention of recurrence of similar situations in an earnest manner.

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