Tokyo demands release of Japan man detained in China for ‘violating domestic law’

The Japanese national in his 50s was taken into custody in Beijing earlier this month for violating domestic law, a government spokesman said
China’s foreign ministry said on Monday the man was suspected of espionage. A Japanese pharmaceutical company has acknowledged that he’s an employee

Japan

Associated Press

Published: 2:36pm, 27 Mar 2023

Why you can trust SCMP

Tokyo has demanded that China release a Japanese national who was detained in Beijing earlier this month, Japan’s top government spokesman said on Monday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a news conference that Japan’s embassy in China was informed by the Chinese authorities that a Japanese man in his 50s was taken into custody in Beijing earlier in March over allegedly violating domestic law.

Matsuno said the Japanese government has since demanded the early release of the Japanese national. Japan also requested that Chinese authorities allow the man access to Japanese consulate officials. He said Japan’s government is providing as much support for the man as possible, including communicating with relevant parties.

He gave no further details on the man’s identity, nor his alleged crime. China’s foreign ministry said later on Monday that the detained Japanese national was suspected of espionage.

17:01

Japan’s ‘evaporated’ people: Inside an industry that helps people disappear

The relevant Chinese authorities earlier this month adopted compulsory measures in accordance with criminal law against the individual for case examination, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing . “This Japanese citizen is suspected of engaging in espionage activities,” Mao said.

Astellas Pharma, a Japanese pharmaceutical company, acknowledged that the man detained in Beijing is an employee of the firm, but declined to disclose further details, including his name, position and whether he is based in China. The company said it was seeking information from Japan’s Foreign Ministry.

The detention has shocked Japanese businesses operating in China, with momentum for their China-bound investment dampened as the incident has triggered fresh anxiety over the risks of doing business in China.

It is customary in China that allegations concerning national security are not released and trials are closed to the public. Even after rulings are finalised, the details are not announced in most cases.

Some Japanese company officials in China say it is unclear what kind of activities could constitute crimes in China and they do not know what exactly they should heed to avoid an unexpected detention.

There have been more than a dozen other cases involving Japanese citizens who had business or other connections with China being arrested over allegations including spying.

US may have ‘lured’ arrested pilot from China to Australia, lawyer says

In October 2019, Chinese authorities detained a Japanese professor, reportedly on suspicion of spying. He was released and returned to Japan the following month.

And in March 2020, China’s foreign ministry said it had arrested a Chinese man reportedly working as a university professor in Japan, who they claimed had confessed to spying.

A Japanese diplomat was also detained for questioning last year and was released hours later, prompting strong protests from Japan’s Foreign Ministry.

Tokyo and Beijing have been increasingly at odds in recent years as Japan considers China’s growing influence in the region as a threat to its national security and the economy.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse, Reuters, Kyodo