Japanese journalist barred from entering Hong Kong ‘without clear reason’

Yoshiaki Ogawa arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday but officials sent him back to Tokyo

File. Mainland Chinese tourists take photographs as Chinese and Hong Kong flags are strung to mark the 26th anniversary of the city’s handover from Britain to China in Hong Kong, on June 27, 2023. A Japanese journalist was barred from entering Hong Kong without a clear reason and was sent back to his country, a Japanese newspaper reported Friday, 30 June 2023 raising concerns over the city’s shrinking press freedoms (Associated Press)

A Japanese journalist was denied entry into Hong Kong on Thursday and was sent back to Tokyo on Friday without giving him a “clear reason for denying him entry”.

Freelance Japanese journalist, Yoshiaki Ogawa, 54, arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday but officials took him aside at the airport, questioned him for about an hour and then denied him entry.

This is reportedly the first such case for a reporter from Japan, local media claimed.

Mr Ogawa said that he was made to sign a document acknowledging that he could not enter the city and then was sent back to Tokyo on Friday afternoon.

“I’ve worked to convey things about Hong Kong to Japan, but it was not like I was going to do any (suspicious) activities in the city,” Mr Ogawa was quoted as saying by local media.

After arriving in Tokyo, he said: “(This incident) has truly made me feel how Hong Kong has changed … this would have been unthinkable before.”

Mr Ogawa is also the author of the book titled “Chronicles of Hong Kong’s Protests” which talks about the 2019 pro-democracy protests in the city.

According to a statement by the Japan-Hong Kong Democracy Alliance, Mr Ogawa planned to investigate the situation in the city, as Friday marked three years since a Beijing-imposed national security law took effect.

“He wasn’t even part of a big news organisation, he was just a freelance journalist… I personally think this is a sign that the situation in Hong Kong is becoming more severe,” Sam Yip, a former Hong Kong district councillor and spokesperson for the Japan-Hong Kong Democracy Alliance said.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong was ranked 140th out of 180 countries and territories in the group’s latest World Press Freedom Index released in May.

In December, photographer Michiko Kiseki was denied entry to Hong Kong and sent back to Japan. Earlier this month, a Japanese street performer who calls himself Mr Wally was also denied entry into the city, according to Japan Times.

Additional reporting with agencies