By Rebiya Kadeer
Japan has taken the right step in terms of national security and economic development by electing Ms. Sanae Takaichi as its Prime Minister. Ms. Takaichi, who for years has been emphasizing principled and truthful positions, has now been given the opportunity to put those beliefs into practice. On this occasion, I congratulate both the people of Japan and Ms. Takaichi.
As news archives show, there has been a long-standing friendship between Ms. Takaichi and Uyghur advocates. This bond did not form by chance, it is built upon shared geopolitical realities, traces of our intertwined political histories, and our common human values.
As China’s former western neighbor and today its colony, our people have long suffered under Beijing’s oppression. Japan, on the other hand, faces hidden threats from China due to past disputes and current territorial issues such as the Senkaku Islands. Today, Japan is one of the main targets of China’s technological espionage, while the Uyghur people are victims of those very stolen technologies. For example, artificial intelligence technologies that serve economic progress around the world are being used in our homeland, East Turkistan, to build and manage concentration camps.
In the 1950s, the Han Chinese population in East Turkistan was only about 4%, but today it exceeds 40%. China’s mass migration policies serve as a warning signal to Japan as well. These realities have prompted conservative politicians like Ms. Takaichi to take a clear and firm stance against the Chinese threat, while also strengthening the continuity and depth of our friendship and cooperation.
Over the past 20 years, more than 100 Uyghur activists have visited Japan hundreds of times, organizing dozens of academic conferences, political meetings, and demonstrations. One such historic event was the 4th General Assembly of the World Uyghur Congress held in Tokyo in 2012. Through these exchanges, we shared experiences, learned from one another, and gained opportunities to understand China, our common adversary, more deeply and to help the world understand it correctly.
These visits were carried out with the cooperation of many Uyghur friends in Japan, including Ms. Takaichi and members of her party. Our friendship has given hope and confidence to our oppressed people, while Japan’s sense of justice, humanity, and defense of the oppressed has set an example for many nations, organizations, and public figures around the world. It has also served as a moral lesson to those who support China’s Uyghur genocide out of self-interest.
It should also be remembered that Uyghur–Japanese friendship dates back to the mid-1930s, before modern communication technology even existed. After the fall of the East Turkistan Republic established in 1933, General Mahmut Muhiti, one of the Republic’s military commanders, visited Japan to seek assistance. On November 17, 1937, he delivered a speech at the DNKK (Japan Muslim League), supported by then–Prime Minister Hayashi Senjuro. In exile, Uyghur leader Muhammad Amin Bughra befriended and exchanged views with Japan’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Kitada Masamoto, in 1935.
I believe and hope that this traditional friendship will advance even further during Ms. Takaichi’s tenure as Prime Minister, and that Japan will take stronger and more concrete steps toward stopping the Uyghur genocide.
Finally, I once again send my greetings and congratulations to Ms. Takaichi and her colleagues!