China Sanctions Japanese Lawmaker as Rift Over Taiwan Flares

China has imposed sanctions on Japanese politician Keiji Furuya, ratcheting up tension with its neighbor by accusing the lawmaker of cultivating ties with people it considers separatists in Taiwan.

Furuya “went to Taiwan many times and colluded with the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “This seriously violated the one-China principle and the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs, and seriously damaged China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”