On Monday, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced sanctions against Keiji Furuya, a veteran member of the Japanese House of Representatives, under the pretext of “colluding with Taiwanese independence.” In response, Keiji Furuya stated that he has not set foot in mainland China for decades and the sanctions imposed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have no impact on him.
According to reports from Reuters, on March 30, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared sanctions against Keiji Furuya, a member of the Japanese House of Representatives. The specific measures include: a ban on entry into China; freezing of his assets within China; prohibition of transactions and cooperation with organizations or individuals in China. The sanctions took immediate effect.
Keiji Furuya currently serves as the Chairman of the Constitution Examination Committee of the Japanese House of Representatives and also as the Chairman of the bipartisan Japan-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship League. He has accompanied Japanese leaders on several visits to Taiwan, most recently meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei earlier this month.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that Keiji Furuya’s pro-Taiwan activities seriously interfered in the CCP’s “internal affairs” and harmed its “sovereignty.”
As reported by Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), on the same day, Representative Keiji Furuya responded to questions from reporters in parliament, stating that he will not change his pro-Taiwan stance due to the CCP’s sanctions.
In an interview with NHK, Keiji Furuya said, “I learned about the sanctions from the news, but I have no assets to be frozen by China, and I have not visited China for decades, so the entry ban has no effect on me.”
He further expressed, “The exchange with Taiwan has been passed down through generations in my family, and as the Chairman of the Japan-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, I often visit Taiwan. Based on the principles of the rule of law, respect for basic human rights, and democracy, my position will never change.”
Representative Keiji Furuya is also an ally of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Last year in October, he visited Taipei to meet President Tsai Ing-wen and delivered a personal letter from Prime Minister Takaichi.
Keiji Furuya is not the first Japanese politician to be targeted by CCP sanctions. In September last year, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs imposed similar measures on Chinese-Japanese Senator Sekihei from the Japan Innovation Party.
In December last year, the CCP also sanctioned Shigeru Iwasaki, former Chief of Staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and current Senior Advisor to the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan).