On Wednesday, July 16, a Chinese court sentenced a Japanese citizen to three and a half years in prison on charges of espionage, further escalating tensions between China and Japan. The Japanese government expressed regret over the verdict and protested against China’s detention of Japanese residents in the country.
The Japanese embassy did not disclose the identity of the man who has been detained since March 2023. According to Kyodo News, the man in his 60s is a senior executive of the Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma Inc.
The executive was detained in March 2023, and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on August 22, 2024, that a Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma Inc. was being prosecuted on suspicion of espionage.
On Wednesday, the Beijing Second Intermediate People’s Court handed down the espionage sentence to the Japanese pharmaceutical company male employee.
Japanese Ambassador to China, Kenji Kanasugi, called the verdict “extremely regrettable.” The Japanese government has lodged protests against China’s series of detentions of Japanese citizens in Beijing.
In a statement, the Japanese embassy said, “We have been urging the Chinese side through various channels, including at the level of leaders and foreign ministers, to release the Japanese citizens detained as soon as possible. We deeply regret China’s guilty verdict in this case.”
Kanasugi attended the ruling on Wednesday, but Japanese journalists were not allowed into the courtroom. He told reporters that Japan will continue to demand the early release of the detained Japanese citizens and added that China’s such detentions are “one of the biggest obstacles to improving people-to-people exchanges and mutual understanding between Japan and China.”
As the details of the charges against the executive have not been disclosed, this verdict will deepen concerns among Japanese businesses and the broader international community in China regarding the transparency of China’s judiciary system. The Japanese embassy stated, “The Japanese government will continue to strongly urge China (the Chinese Communist Party) to enhance the transparency of the judicial procedures at all levels.”
According to Kyodo News, the Japanese government has repeatedly urged Beijing to release the man, including during a summit last November between Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Peru.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian confirmed the verdict at the routine press conference on Wednesday.
The employee is a senior executive of the Japanese company Astellas Pharma’s China branch, detained by the Chinese Communist Party in 2023. He had worked in China for over twenty years and had served as the vice-chairman of the Japan-China Chamber of Commerce. He was arrested in March 2023 as he was about to board a flight back to Japan. His arrest shocked the Japanese expatriate community and had a more severe chilling effect on the international business community in China.
This verdict comes at a time when tensions between China and Japan were already high. Earlier this month, a Chinese fighter jet had a close encounter with a Japanese reconnaissance plane over the East China Sea, leading to protests from the Japanese government. Additionally, due to China’s slowing economic growth and concerns about the lack of legal protections, China ranks lower as a future investment destination for Japanese companies, with many companies withdrawing from China.
Under China’s updated Anti-Espionage Law passed in 2014 and amended in 2023, several Japanese citizens have been arrested, with some still in detention.
The updated Anti-Espionage Law grants unprecedented enforcement powers to China’s Ministry of State Security and its local branches, allowing them to enter, inquire, and inspect personal electronic devices and business facilities. In emergency situations, such inspections can be conducted without a search warrant, and if the police cannot inspect electronic devices on the spot, they have the right to take the items to a designated location. However, what constitutes an emergency situation is not clear.
The risk of being arrested on espionage charges in China is increasingly a concern in Japan, including among the business community. A safety manual for travelers to China issued by the Japanese Embassy in Beijing urges tourists to be extra cautious.