Her Foreign Office China announced today that an employee of the Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma, arrested in the country, was allegedly engaged in espionage.

“The Japanese citizen was allegedly engaged in espionage activities in violation of the Penal Code of the People’s Republic of China and anti-espionage laws,” Mao Ning, a ministry spokeswoman, said today, adding that Beijing had informed the Japanese embassy.

Earlier today, Tokyo demanded that the Japanese man 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 was detained in Beijing for violating the law,” Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said.

A spokesman for the Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma confirmed that it was an employee, but declined to provide details.

According to Japanese media, this Japanese has been working in China for two decades.

The Kyodo news agency reported that the man, a former head of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China, was arrested shortly before he was scheduled to return to Japan.

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

“In recent years, there have been many similar cases involving Japanese citizens. Japan needs to better discipline its citizens and put them in order,” he added.

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

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

And in March 2020, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the arrest for espionage of a Chinese citizen who, according to Japanese media, worked at a Japanese university.

Source: APE-MPE, Reuters, AFP.