A day after Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai was arrested for breaching the national security law, the Japanese government has said that it is keeping a close watch on the grave situation in Hong Kong.
The NHK quoted Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide as saying that Japan has consistently stressed the need for Hong Kong to maintain its free and open system and develop in a stable, democratic manner, under the "one country, two systems" framework.
He further said that Japan has conveyed its position to China at all possible times.
Jimmy Lai, a media tycoon and critic of the Chinese Communist Party, was arrested on Monday on charges of "collusion with a foreign country".
The New York Times reported that Lai's company Next Digital publishes Apple Daily, a fiercely pro-democracy newspaper that regularly takes on the Hong Kong government and the Chinese leadership. He is denounced by Chinese officials, pro-Beijing news outlets in Hong Kong, and China's state-run news media.
According to Apple Daily, 72-year-old Lai was being investigated on charges of partnering with a foreign country. Besides Lai, his two sons have also been arrested on charges of violating company business code.
( With inputs from ANI )