Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi Tuesday slashed three Japanese students and a teacher for their obscene performance at a university in western China.

Speaking to journalists, Kawaguchi emphasized that students studying abroad should understand and respect the customs of their host countries.

The Japanese students and teacher, who were studying and teaching in Northwest China University in the city of Xi'an, performed obscene dances Wednesday with red bras and false genitalia at an evening party held by the university's foreign language school.

The obscene performance sparked strong indignation among the students of the university, who gathered Thursday in front of the university's foreign students dormitory and demanded that the Japanese apologize for their action.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has also urged the Japanese government to educate Japanese students in China to abide by the laws and regulations of China and the rules of Chinese universities as well as to respect Chinese people's customs to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

The Japanese students and teacher were expelled Thursday by the university authorities.

(Xinhua News Agency November 4, 2003)