Tokyo, July 29 (DPA) Uighur rights activist Rebiya Kadeer Wednesday sought help from Japanese politicians to request China to release prisoners and dispatch an investigating team.

Kadeer's visit to Japan has already drawn criticism from China since Beijing considers the ethnic minority representative one of the masterminds behind the July 5 disturbances in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

Japan, however, thinks Kadeer's visit should not negatively affect bilateral relations because she was invited by a private organisation, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said Wednesday.

After the meeting with Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) members, Kadeer said she was hopeful of cooperation from Tokyo.