Japan’s foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi clashed with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in a phone conversation over a range of issues, days before Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga visits Washington for closer Japan-U.S. ties on April 16. On April 5, Toshimitsu Motegi criticized China’s behavior in disputed waters, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong in a 90-minute phone discussion with Wang Yi. While confirming with Wang the importance of contributing to the region and the international community, Motegi expressed “serious concerns” about the invasion of the Senkaku Islands (also called the Tiao-yu Islands in Taiwan and the Diaoyu Islands in mainland China) by the China Coast Guard, the South China Sea, Hong Kong, and the human rights situation in Xinjiang during the longer-than-expected conversation. On the Chinese side, however, Wang Yi said that Hong Kong- and Xinjiang-related issues are China’s domestic affairs, hoping that Japan would not be led by countries that stand against …