The World Uyghur Congress (WUC), a separatist group that China claims has close relations to terrorist organizations, opened a conference in Tokyo yesterday, with China expressing strong dissatisfaction with Japan for allowing the group to engage in separatist activities, regardless of China's objection.

"China expresses strong dissatisfaction with Japan for letting the congress orchestra its anti-China separatist activities," Hong Lei, a spokesman from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a press conference in Beijing yesterday.

"Xinjiang-related affairs are exclusively internal matter, and China does not tolerate any interference from external powers. We require Japan to eliminate any negative impact and make efforts to safeguard Sino-Japanese relations," Hong Lei said.

"The group is closely related to terrorist organizations,"Hong said. "And their disturbing activities will be spurned by Chinese people all over the world."

Rebiya Kadeer, head of the WUC, told yesterday's meeting that Uyghur people "now face a fight for our existence."

Kadeer, who is in exile in the US, also said she hoped to return to China one day with the assistance of foreign agencies.

Pan Zhiping, a researcher on central Asian issues at the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, believed the WUC, a "mishmash" of exiled Uyghur separatists, has failed to catch the world's spotlight for more than two years after directing the deadly violence in 2009 and is now re-emerging in a bid to seek attention.

Several members of the congress also visited the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, where hundreds of Japanese war criminals during the World War II are enshrined.

"It further demonstrates that the WUC is a group of pariahs without any political talent," said Zhou Yongsheng, a professor of Japanese studies at the University of Foreign Affairs. "Even the last three Japanese prime ministers from the ruling Democratic Party of Japan didn't visit the shrine in order to avoid friction with its Asian neighbors. How dare the WUC representatives visit this place?" asked Zhou.

The shrine, widely seen as a symbol of Japan's brutal invasion of China, has been a hotly debated topic between Japan and its neighboring nations which were also invaded.

Zhou also blamed the Japanese government for issuing visas to the WUC members.

"Obviously, the WUC was not invited by the Japanese government to gather in Tokyo. But the Japanese government is not giving a friendly gesture to China by issuing visas for the WUC members," Zhou said.

Japan issued an entry visa to Rebiya Kadeer just before Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's meeting with Chinese and South Korean leaders in Beijing Sunday, according to Kyodo News.

The visa was issued despite repeated requests from the Chinese government not to  support Kadeer's "anti-China separatist activities."

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the five-day assembly began Mondayand will be attended by 200 participants.