Japan will not send a government delegation to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics due to the human rights situation in China, a government spokesman said on Friday, following the actions of several Western nations that have also withheld officials’ attendance at the Games. Instead of sending government officials, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Japan would send Tokyo Games President Seiko Hashimoto, Japanese Olympic Committee chief Yasuhiro Yamashita, and Japan Paralympic Committee President Kazuyuki Mori to the Games. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also said on Dec. 16 that he has no plans to attend the Winter Olympics in Beijing. The move won’t affect the athletes’ participation in the Games as they will still be competing as scheduled. “We think it is important that universal values such as freedom, respect of basic human rights, and the rule of law are ensured in China,” Matsuno said at a press briefing, reported Kyodo …