Protect Hongkongers in Japan, authorities urge Tokyo after tourist attacked

Authorities in Hong Kong have expressed concern to the Japanese consulate after a resident was struck on the head with a beer bottle in Sapporo, urging Tokyo to better protect visitors from the city.Thursday’s statement followed a warning issued a day earlier by the Sapporo" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="33187" data-entity-type="organization">Chinese consulate in Sapporo advising nationals against travelling to Japan, at a time when relations between Beijing and Tokyo are at a low point.However, local tour operators said the attack was likely to be an isolated incident that would not affect Hongkongers’ appetite to visit Japan.The Hong Kong government said it had immediately contacted the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong and the Sapporo" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="33187" data-entity-type="organization">Chinese consulate in Sapporo to follow up and provide “practicable assistance” to the resident involved.“The [government] has already expressed concerns to the consul general of Japan in Hong Kong, urging the Japanese government to ensure the personal safety of Hong Kong travellers in Japan in accordance with the law,” it said.The Sapporo" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="33187" data-entity-type="organization">Chinese consulate in Sapporo earlier said the incident took place at a restaurant in the early hours of Wednesday, and that Japanese police had apprehended the suspect involved.