SYDNEY — Japan's top lawmaker of Uyghur heritage is calling for his country to take a stronger stance on China's human rights, while also calling for a stronger defense posture in response to Beijing's growing military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
Born in Japan to ethnic Uyghur and Uzbek parents, Arfiya Eri was elected to the lower house of the Diet of Japan in 2023, representing a district just outside Tokyo. Prior to that, he studied abroad, including in China and the United States, and worked at the Bank of Japan and the United Nations.