21 Japanese detained in China may have been targeted in crackdown on missionaries
They are said to have been Christian group members, and five have already returned to Japan
Chinese authorities detained 21 Japanese nationals in the southwest city of Chongqing and elsewhere on the mainland this month, a source close to Japanese-Chinese relations said on Friday.
The Japanese are said to have been Christian group members and may have been targeted as part of a crackdown on missionary work, which is considered an illegal activity by Beijing.
The 21 were detained some time between May 5 and 15 in Chongqing, and in five provinces – Hebei, Henan, Guizhou, Shanxi and Liaoning – as well as the autonomous region of Ningxia, the source said.
Of the people detained, five have already returned to Japan, according to the Japanese foreign ministry. The ministry did not say if they were deported.
The Japanese government has expressed interest in the detentions, while requesting that the Chinese government deal with them properly.