Hong Kong authorities have expressed concern over an attack on a resident in Japan's Sapporo and urged Tokyo to better safeguard visitors from the city. The incident occurred at a restaurant in the early hours of Wednesday, with Japanese police apprehending the suspect. Amid tense China-Japan relations due to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan, local tour operators view it as an isolated event unlikely to deter Hongkongers from traveling to Japan.
Authorities in Hong Kong have expressed concern to the Japanese consulate after a resident was struck on the head with a beer bottle in Sapporo, urging Tokyo to better protect visitors from the city. The Hong Kong government said it had immediately contacted the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong and the Chinese consulate in Sapporo to follow up and provide “practicable assistance” to the resident involved. “The [government] has already expressed concerns to the consul general of Japan in Hong Kong, urging the Japanese government to ensure the personal safety of Hong Kong travellers in Japan in accordance with the law,” it said.
The Chinese consulate in Sapporo earlier said the incident took place at a restaurant in the early hours of Wednesday, and that Japanese police had apprehended the suspect involved.
The attack comes amid tense relations between China and Japan over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan, which have drawn attention from Beijing and Washington.
However, local tour operators said the attack was likely to be an isolated incident that would not affect Hongkongers’ appetite to visit Japan.
