Xue Jian, China's Consul General in Osaka.
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During the recent House of Representatives election, Xue Jian, China's consul general in Osaka, weighed in on Japan's election choices. On his X (formerly Twitter) account, he urged voters to vote for Reiwa Shinsengumi. Moreover, he shared a video excerpt from a speech by Taro Yamamoto, leader of the party, in his post.
This is tantamount to interference in the country's internal affairs. It is wholly inappropriate for a diplomat to encourage people to vote for a particular party in an election in the country where he or she is posted. Xue's conduct clearly violates the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which states that diplomats have an obligation not to interfere in the domestic affairs of the host country.
Elections constitute the very foundation of a nation's democracy. This is an area in which foreign countries should never interfere. Are diplomats who represent the one-party dictatorship in China under the Chinese Communist Party unable to comprehend this concept? China should promptly replace Xue as Consul General.
Ishiba Cabinet's Wishy-washy Response
Jin Matsubara, an independent legislator and former Minister of State for the Abduction Issues, questioned Xue's interference. He also submitted an official written question on this issue of Chinese election interference to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
In a written reply, Prime Minister Ishiba's Cabinet Office acknowledged that Consul General Xue's post was "highly inappropriate." The Japanese government also sent a request to Beijing through diplomatic channels that led to the deletion of the social media post.
Lawmaker Matsubara's question raised whether the offending post violates the obligation of foreign diplomats not to intervene in the domestic affairs of a host country. In reply, the Cabinet Office only said it was "difficult to give a general answer."
Replace Consul General, or Kick Him Out
This is bizarre. Does the Ishiba Cabinet have no intention of protecting the rights of Japanese citizens? If China does not replace Xue, the Japanese government should declare him "persona non grata" and immediately expel him.
The SNS message at issue was posted on October 25, two days before the election. In the video, Diet member Yamamoto pleaded: "Wherever you may be in the country, please write in Reiwa on your proportional representation ballot."
In his post, Consul General Xue included the following comment: "It's the same in every country in the world. Once politics becomes distorted, the country goes awry and begins falling apart, while ordinary people, except for the privileged class, become poor, and eventually the country goes to hell."
Xue's Arrogance
Recently Xue has made several provocative posts on X. They include the following. "We protest against this dirty anti-China article fabricated by the anti-China Sankei Shimbun, which specializes in opposing China, in collusion with a certain anti-China politician!" It was an obvious reference to Matsubara.
Xue defended his conduct as follows, "No matter what, there is no way that I myself said, 'Please write "Reiwa" on the ballot for the proportional representation in the House of Representatives election.'"
That is truly a lame excuse. Even if Xue did not directly call for voters to write in "Reiwa," anyone reading his post would logically take that meaning. It would have been best for him to frankly apologize rather than seek to escape responsibility.
Meanwhile, the post might have annoyed Reiwa. However, inexplicably, Reiwa Shinsengumi has not clearly protested to China.
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Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun
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