Shimpei Okuhara 
LDP's former Minister for Economic Security, Sanae Takaichi, in the National Diet on April 10 (©Sankei by Shimpei Okuhara)
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On April 10, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) parliamentary group on Southern Mongolia held a meeting at the National Diet. At the meeting, the group confirmed its intention to urge the government to address human rights concerns in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It also agreed to call for the inclusion of these issues in future G7 summit communiques.
Recent summit communiques have mentioned Tibet, Xinjiang Uyghur, and Hong Kong. However, former Minister for Economic Security Sanae Takaichi, who chairs the group, criticized the omission. "Regrettably, there is no mention of Southern Mongolia," she said.
G7 Silence
Both houses of the Diet adopted resolutions in 2022 recognizing the "serious human rights situation" in Southern Mongolia. The resolutions also named Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong and described these issues as a threat to the international community.
Nevertheless, communiques from the 2023 Hiroshima Summit (hosted by Japan) and the 2024 Summit in Italy failed to mention Southern Mongolia. They did express concern over human rights in Tibet and Xinjiang, and called for the protection of Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy.
Several lawmakers present at the meeting reportedly shared Takaichi's concerns.
During the session, officials briefed lawmakers on the replacement of Mongolian-language textbooks with standard Chinese in elementary and junior high schools across Inner Mongolia. Chinese authorities began this shift in the autumn of 2020. Starting in 2025, they will conduct college entrance exams exclusively in Chinese.
Ethnic Extermination
After the meeting, Rintaro Ishibashi, a House of Representatives member and secretary-general of the group, commented, "The erasure of a mother tongue is a form of ethnic extermination. We cannot ignore it."
It was also reported that information control in the region has intensified. Contact has been lost with Hada, the detained leader of the Southern Mongolian Democratic Alliance. He is believed to be under house arrest by Chinese authorities.
Hada has been nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize at the recommendation of lawmakers, including House of Councillors member Hiroshi Yamada, who serves as the group's executive director.
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Author: Shimpei Okuhara, The Sankei Shimbun
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