Chinese academic at Japan university detained by China for spying
- Hokkaido University last heard from Yuan Keqing in mid-June after he left Japan to attend his mother’s funeral in China
- Details of his alleged crime have not been disclosed by Beijing. A foreign ministry spokesman said the facts were ‘clear and evidence conclusive’
“The facts of the case are clear and the evidence is conclusive,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said during a regular press briefing, stressing that Yuan Keqing, a professor of East Asian political history at the Hokkaido University of Education, is a Chinese citizen.
Details of the alleged espionage were not disclosed, but Geng said Yuan had confessed to the crime.
Yuan has not been in contact with the university since mid-June, after he left for China to attend the funeral of his mother, according to the university and his friends.
The university last heard from his wife in July that Yuan was being treated for an unspecified illness.
In Japan, fears grow that Chinese academic has been detained on the mainland
Fearing that he might have been detained by Chinese authorities, a group of Japanese researchers issued an emergency appeal late last year.
Yuan, born in China’s Jilin province in 1955, studied law at Hitotsubashi University graduate school in Tokyo and is a permanent resident of Japan.
The Chinese authorities in September detained Hokkaido University professor Nobu Iwatani for alleged spying, subsequently releasing him in November. Iwatani specialised in studies on the Chinese Nationalist Party during the 1937-1945 Sino-Japanese War, a field close to Yuan’s area of expertise.
Yang Hengjun isn’t the first time Australia’s interests collided with China’s
Since 2015, at least 15 Japanese citizens have been detained in China on various charges, including espionage.
Not only Japanese, but a number of other foreign nationals have been held in China, particularly after a counter-espionage law took effect in 2014 and a national security law in 2015.
Purchase the China AI Report 2020 brought to you by SCMP Research and enjoy a 20% discount (original price US$400). This 60-page all new intelligence report gives you first-hand insights and analysis into the latest industry developments and intelligence about China AI. Get exclusive access to our webinars for continuous learning, and interact with China AI executives in live Q&A. Offer valid until 31 March 2020.
