Regarding the case of Next Digital founder Jimmy Lai, the Japanese cross-party organization “Parliamentary League for Human Rights Diplomacy” has drafted a statement urging Sanae Takaichi, who will visit the U.S. this week, to cooperate with the United States to pressure the Chinese Communist Party to immediately release Lai.
According to the Chasing Light report, the draft issued by the Parliamentary League for Human Rights Diplomacy on March 12 stated that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will visit the United States, and Japan should use this opportunity to strengthen cooperation with U.S. President Donald Trump to jointly pressure China, with the goal of restoring Lai’s rightful rights. Through various diplomatic channels, they demand his unconditional release.
In addition to calling for Lai’s release, the statement also mentioned that Japanese Liberal Democratic Party co-chair Gen Nakatani and advisor/former House of Representatives member Shiori Yamao were identified by the judge in Lai’s case as individuals with whom Lai allegedly colluded with foreign forces. The statement urges the Japanese government to lodge a protest with Hong Kong and Chinese authorities, saying that “treating legitimate legislative activity and parliamentary diplomacy as criminal offenses constitutes an intolerable infringement on parliamentary sovereignty.”
It is reported that Trump had already raised the issue of Lai’s release with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the “Trump-Xi meeting” in South Korea at the end of October last year. Trump is also scheduled to visit Beijing from March 31 to April 2 for a meeting with Xi.
In the “Apple Daily national security case,” Jimmy Lai was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious materials. On March 9, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
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On Feb. 9, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara expressed serious concern over the potential impact of Lai’s 20-year sentence on freedom of speech in Hong Kong. He stated that such events, which undermine external confidence in the “One Country, Two Systems” framework, continue to occur. Japan will continue urging Chinese mainland and Hong Kong authorities to ensure that the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong citizens are respected and said that “Japan will work closely with the international community to strongly urge them to do so.”
Lai’s Hong Kong legal team confirmed last week with multiple media outlets that they will not appeal his conviction or sentence.
After Lai was sentenced to 20 years, the international community condemned the Hong Kong government and the Chinese Communist Party. The United Kingdom called on the Hong Kong government to “end the inhumane treatment Lai has suffered” and to release him on humanitarian grounds so he can reunite with his family. The European Union called for his immediate and unconditional release, describing the case as a “political prosecution” that damages Hong Kong’s reputation. The EU urged the Hong Kong government to restore confidence in press freedom and to stop prosecuting journalists.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the sentence as an “unjust and tragic outcome,” demanding that the Hong Kong government grant Lai humanitarian parole. Several U.S. lawmakers called for his immediate release and pushed for sanctions on relevant officials. Rubio stated that the Hong Kong court’s ruling “demonstrates to the world that Beijing is willing to use extraordinary measures to silence those advocating basic freedoms in Hong Kong” and bluntly said that the verdict “abandons Beijing’s international commitments made in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration.” The U.S. has urged authorities to grant “humanitarian parole.”
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also condemned the sentence, calling the rollback of Hong Kong press freedom “shocking,” describing the 20-year sentence for Lai, whose health is deteriorating, as “tantamount to a death sentence,” and called on the UK government to intervene to secure his release so he can be reunited with his family.
By Li Jingyao
