A Japanese man was arrested in China on charges of espionage

In the hands of its authorities China a Japanese man is found as he was allegedly engaged in espionage. The man was working for the pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma while collecting information which he took back to his country.

“The Japanese citizen allegedly engaged in espionage activities in violation of the People’s Republic of China’s criminal code and anti-espionage laws“, said today, Monday (27/3) the representative of the ministry Mao Ning, while adding that Beijing has informed the Japanese embassy.

Earlier today Tokyo had requested that this Japanese be released “as soon as possible” from Beijing.

The Japanese embassy in China was informed “this month that a Japanese man between the ages of 50 and 60 has been detained in Beijing for violating the law,” Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said.

A representative of the Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma confirmed that this is an employee, but refused to provide further details.

As pointed out by the Japanese media and relayed by the Athens News Agency this Japanese man has been working in China for two decades.

The Kyodo news agency said the man, a former executive of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China, was arrested shortly before his scheduled return to China. Japan.

“China is a country that operates under the rule of law. Foreign citizens in China should respect Chinese laws. Those who break the law and commit crimes and misdemeanors are prosecuted,” Mao emphasized.

“There have been many similar cases in recent years involving Japanese citizens. Japan should better discipline its citizens and bring them to order,” he added.

In October 2019, a Japanese university professor was detained on espionage charges. He was released in November.

While in March 2020, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had arrested a Chinese national for espionage, who, according to Japanese media, was working for a Japanese university.