Japan's newly-appointed Chinese ambassador dies

14:39, 17 September 2012

HONG KONG. September 17. KAZINFORM The newly appointed Japanese ambassador to China has died after taking ill and collapsing in Tokyo late last week.

In a brief statement, the Japanese Foreign Ministry confirmed Shinichi Nishimiya, 60, died on Sunday after spending the weekend in hospital because of his "health condition." He collapsed just two days after being appointed to the job, according to CNN.

The ministry did not disclose any further details about what had happened.

Panasonic closes China plants after protests

Previously a deputy minister for foreign affairs, Nishimiya was due to replace the current Japanese envoy in Beijing, 72-year-old Uichiro Niwa, in the coming weeks amid heightened tensions between Japan and China.

The Japanese government's recent purchase of a set of disputed islands in the East China Sea from a private owner has angered Beijing, which has called the acquisition "illegal and invalid."

World News