Chinese nationals in Japan testify to harassment by Beijing, the report said

Beijing is monitoring and harassing Chinese dissidents living in Japan through their relatives back home in a campaign of “transnational repression,” Human Rights Watch (HRW) claimed in a report released Thursday based on rare personal testimonials.

The rights group interviewed 25 anonymous Chinese nationals living in Japan, including some from Xinjiang, Tibet and Inner Mongolia who took part in activities critical of China’s ruling Communist Party between June and August this year.

Among them, 16 said they had been contacted by police and the Beijing embassy in Japan, often through relatives from the mainland, to silence them and pressure them to inquire about fellow expats.