A Japanese newspaper reports that the Japanese government will replace its ambassador to China in September.

Tokyo has announced it will appoint a new ambassador to China to succeed incumbent Uichiro Niwa once the parliamentary plenary session ends on September 8th.

Niwa was recently called back to the capital after he criticized the central government's policy to purchase three out of a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea, which are known as "Diaoyu” in Chinese and “Senkaku” in Japanese.

Known for his pro-China stance, the ambassador said in an interview with a British news company in June that the purchase of the controversial islands could negatively affect Japan’s relations with China. His comments invited strong backlash from Japan’s right-wing groups.