Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takashi recently stated, “If something happens to Taiwan, it means something happens to Japan,” which has sparked anger from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCP’s political and military sectors rushed to make statements, with the National Security Department of the CCP releasing a statement claiming to have uncovered a series of Japanese spy cases in recent years, though without providing specific cases. Experts suggest that some of the espionage cases previously presented by the CCP may have been fabricated, and the National Security Department is now issuing statements to “claim credit” in response to anti-Japanese political needs.
The CCP National Security Department published a commentary article yesterday (November 19) titled “Those who provoke beyond the line will have no good endings,” claiming to have “dared to fight and actively acted,” and have in recent years cracked down on a number of Japanese spy intelligence agencies involved in infiltration and espionage cases targeting China.
However, the CCP National Security Department did not provide any case details regarding the Japanese spies. When reporting on the matter, the Hong Kong-based newspaper “Sing Tao Daily” mentioned an old case from 2016 involving a well-known advocate for Sino-Japanese friendship who was arrested on suspicion of espionage.
In 2016, Japanese scholar Eiji Suzuki was arrested in Beijing by CCP security personnel on espionage charges and sentenced to 6 years in prison. After returning to Japan, Suzuki revealed to the media that the reason for his prosecution was absurd, stemming from a casual conversation he had with his Chinese friend (diplomat Yamamoto Fuchi) mentioning the execution of Kim Jong-un’s uncle, Jang Song-thaek, by North Korea.
Suzuki believed that he was targeted by the CCP due to being caught up in the power struggle within the Party. His connections were primarily within the “tuanpai” faction, and his arrest came after Xi Jinping came to power and purged the tuanpai faction, leading to his detention. “By framing me as a spy, the authorities can use the excuse of someone within the tuanpai faction having ties with a spy to crackdown on the faction,” Suzuki stated.
Suzuki also believed that the former Counselor of the CCP Embassy in Japan, Yamamoto Fuchi, who was also arrested, may have been secretly sentenced to death. During his incarceration, Suzuki heard rumors within the prison of the CCP Ambassador to Ireland having been secretly sentenced to death for espionage.
Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Studies’ Deputy Researcher, Xie Peixue, stated on November 5 to the Epoch Times that while the CCP National Security Department claimed to have cracked down on a number of Japanese spy cases, exposing these cases to the public would seem ridiculous.
Xie explained that the CCP National Security Department has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, moving from a highly secretive intelligence agency to the forefront by frequently issuing warnings against spies, but many cases are considered bizarre and believed to be fabricated.
Illustrating this, Xie cited a case in September where the CCP National Security Department claimed that an 18-year-old Chinese student studying in Taiwan fell in love with a 16-year-older spy classmate, who then turned him into an informant to leak military intelligence from China. However, the article did not disclose the classmate’s identity nor specify the timing of the events.
“By fabricating stories in this manner and frequently engaging in such actions, it is very likely due to several bureaucratic agencies within the CCP vying for credit, which is the result of internal competition,” Xie said.
Shen Mingshi, a researcher at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Studies, mentioned to the Epoch Times that in recent years, most of the so-called Japanese spies captured by the CCP National Security Department were engaged in research or teaching at universities, and merely having interviews with others was considered spying. It is believed that many individuals are still detained in China.
Shen added that the CCP National Security Department has not provided any data on the number of Japanese spies apprehended over the years, nor compared it with other countries, so it is not clear whether the situation of Japanese espionage is escalating. Their recent statements are primarily aimed at aligning with the current anti-Japanese sentiment within the CCP, essentially serving as a form of propaganda warfare.
Since Prime Minister Takashi’s statement regarding Taiwan, China’s diplomatic, military, and propaganda systems have all simultaneously launched anti-Japanese tirades.
Xie mentioned that officials from the CCP Foreign Ministry deliberately put their hands in their pockets while meeting with Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials in Beijing on November 18, as if being guided by a superior, with CCP official media subsequently releasing images – all tactics employed in cognitive warfare. Economically, the CCP is discouraging Chinese citizens from traveling to Japan for tourism and consumption, along with military exercises in the Yellow Sea, among other actions. It appears that the CCP’s political, military, and security apparatus are all eager to claim credit for being anti-Japanese, with the CCP National Security Department fearing that a lack of action could be viewed as passivity.
Shen believes that with the deteriorating situation in Sino-Japanese relations, the CCP’s National Security Department increasing its anti-spy rhetoric will lead to more industries and scholars from foreign countries withdrawing from China, resulting in significant negative impacts on foreign investment and academic exchanges between China and other countries.