On Tuesday, August 11th, according to multiple sources cited by the Japanese newspaper “Mainichi Shimbun,” the Chinese authorities have detained several Japanese citizens, including company executives with offices in China. It is alleged that they have violated export restrictions that cover military and dual-use goods, including rare earth minerals.
This detention operation is reported to be part of a series of enforcement measures by the Chinese side, which includes frequent on-site inspections and questioning of personnel at Japanese company offices in China.
Additionally, some Japanese citizens were detained upon entering China and were requested to cooperate with official investigations by the Chinese Communist Party.
During the routine press briefing held by the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday, journalists from leading Japanese media outlets such as “Yomiuri Shimbun,” “Asahi Shimbun,” NHK, and Kyodo News inquired about the detention of Japanese citizens, to which spokesperson Guo Jiakun categorically refused to confirm details of these cases.
Guo stated, “We have already addressed this issue before” and mentioned that relevant departments are conducting investigations and processing criminal cases according to the law.
In May, Chinese authorities arrested two Japanese employees in Dalian, Liaoning Province, accusing them of smuggling rare earth minerals. These employees reportedly have ties to a large Japanese heavy electrical machinery group.
Japanese media reports highlighted that during the Tuesday press conference, Chinese officials did not provide specific details regarding the progress of the judicial proceedings for the two Japanese citizens detained in May. There was no information on whether they had been charged and no response to the news of the recent detention of Japanese corporate executives.
Since last fall, after Japanese Prime Minister Takashi Hayashi responded to the “Taiwan incident,” Beijing has been increasing economic pressure on Japan.
In January of this year, China announced export controls on military and civilian products to Japan. By June, the pressure on Japan intensified as the number of Japanese companies and institutions listed for control doubled. In July, China established a hotline for reporting suspected illegal exports of military and civilian products. With the escalation of countermeasures, a series of detentions and other incidents involving Japanese citizens have occurred.
In July, the Japanese Embassy in China issued a warning to representatives of Japanese companies in China, noting actual cases of detention related to export controls, accompanied by criminal penalties and fines. The embassy emphasized that the Chinese government would “continue to strengthen” reviews and enforcement and urged Japanese companies to take action in accordance with the current situation.
A Japanese government official stated, “Entering China under suspicion of violating relevant laws is a high-risk behavior. Please consult the Japanese government beforehand.”
Data analysis by Nikkei Asian Review on Chinese customs data revealed that from January to June of this year, China’s exports of seven key rare earth raw materials to Japan decreased by 51% compared to the same period last year, while the global decrease was 16%.
Starting in April last year, Beijing began implementing export controls on certain heavy rare earths and their magnets. As the world’s largest producer and consumer of rare earths, China accounts for nearly 90% of the global processing of rare earth minerals.