Tokyo: Japan will convey to the Chinese
government Tokyo`s concern over Beijing`s plan to execute a
Japanese man convicted of attempting to smuggle stimulant
drugs from China to Japan in 2006, a top government official
has said.
"The issue is a matter of justice in China," Japan`s
Cabinet Secretary and government spokesman Hirofumi Hirano
said today.
"But when it comes to a death sentence, I understand
there is certainly public sentiment (against it) and
the government will express and convey its concern (to
China)," he said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said today
that the country notified Japan the previous day of the
imminent execution of the man identified as Mitsunobu Akano.
If the convict is executed, it will be the first
execution by China of a Japanese national since the two
countries normalized diplomatic relations in 1972.
The execution may affect bilateral relations, which
recently have moved in a positive direction following the
detention by Chinese authorities of a Chinese man for
allegedly poisoning frozen dumplings that made 10 people ill
in Japan from late 2007 to early 2008.
PTI
