Beijing Winter Olympics 2022: Japan becomes the fifth country to announce a "diplomatic boycott"

Hirokazu Matsuno, spokesman for the Japanese government, has said that Japan "does not plan to send government officials" to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics (04-20/02/2022) on 24/12/2021.

"Japan believes it is important that common values shared by the international community such as freedom, human rights, and the rule of law are also respected in China," continued the spokesman, announcing that the president of the Tokyo-2020 Olympic Organising Committee, Seiko Hashimoto, and the president of the Japanese Olympic Committee, Yasuhiro Yamashita, would be in Beijing.

Japan joins the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada in this "diplomatic boycott" (sportsmen and women will participate, but no political leaders will travel to Beijing). British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Australian government announced their intentions on 08/12/2021. The United States had officially announced their decision on 06/12/2021.

The USA's decision is justified by the "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human…