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Japan Today
19 hours ago
- Business
- Japan Today
China pressed Japanese businessman to admit to spying in plea deal
Chinese authorities pushed a Japanese businessman, recently convicted by a Chinese court, to admit to spying in exchange for a lesser charge under a plea bargain, sources close to diplomatic ties said Sunday. The Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court on Wednesday sentenced a man in his 60s working for Astellas Pharma Inc. to three years and six months in prison for espionage. The defendant admitted to the charge, but the verdict did not detail how he acted illegally. Legal experts said the sentence appeared more lenient than those given to other Japanese nationals tried on spying charges in China. In May this year, another Japanese man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for espionage by a Shanghai court. During questioning, authorities told the man and his lawyer what sentence he could expect if he pleaded guilty and explained the legal basis for it, the sources said. A 2018 amendment to China's criminal procedure law introduced a plea leniency system. According to people familiar with Sino-Japanese relations, the man was convicted of providing information to a Japanese intelligence agency and received rewards. The Astellas Pharma employee was detained in March 2023, just ahead of his scheduled return to Japan, was formally arrested in October of that year and was indicted in August 2024. He had served as an executive at the pharmaceutical company's Chinese unit and a senior official of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China. © KYODO
Japan Today
a day ago
- Business
- Japan Today
Japanese man provided info to intelligence agency: Chinese court
A Japanese businessman, who was convicted earlier this week by a Chinese court for engaging in spying, provided information to an intelligence agency and received rewards, sources familiar with Sino-Japanese relations said Saturday. On Wednesday, the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court sentenced the Astellas Pharma Inc. employee in his 60s to three years and six months in prison for espionage activities, but the verdict did not touch on specific details of how he acted illegally in China. It remains unknown which intelligence agency requested the man to collect information about Chinese domestic affairs. The ruling can be appealed within 10 days from Thursday, but the Japanese citizen does not plan to do so, the sources said. The man was detained in March 2023, just before his scheduled return to Japan, formally arrested in October that year and indicted in August 2024. He stood trial for the first time in November last year in a closed-door hearing at the Beijing court. The Japanese government continues to demand the early release of the businessman as well as other Japanese nationals detained in China, saying the issue has become "one of the major obstructive factors" for people-to-people exchanges and improvement of public sentiment. © KYODO
Yomiuri Shimbun
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Prison Sentence for Japanese Employee: Visiting China with Peace of Mind Impossible under Its Judicial System
China cannot be called a nation governed by the rule of law, considering that, throughout the legal proceedings, it was never sufficiently specified what kind of conduct allegedly violated the law. China needs to change its opaque judicial system. The Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court, a district court, has sentenced a Japanese man — an employee of Astellas Pharma Inc. — who was indicted on suspicion of espionage, to 3½ years in prison. The trial was closed to the public, but Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi and others were allowed to attend the session at which the ruling was handed down. According to the ambassador, the court explained the alleged espionage activities to some extent. But he said, 'It was not something that could be considered transparent.' When the extremely grave judicial decision of a prison sentence is to be handed down, it would make sense to show the content of the judgment. It is obvious that China's judicial procedures deviate greatly from the norms of the international community. China enforced a counterespionage law in 2014 to intensify its surveillance of foreigners. A total of at least 17 Japanese nationals have been detained on suspicion of espionage and other charges. Five of them, including the man who received a prison sentence this time, have not been released. It is extremely regrettable that the Chinese side has not complied with the Japanese government's repeated requests for the early release of the Japanese nationals, including this man. The counterespionage law was amended in 2023. In addition to 'state secrets,' the theft or provision of 'documents and data relating to national security and interests,' among others, were included as acts of espionage. There is concern that this will lead to more arbitrary application of the law by Chinese authorities. Meanwhile, China has shown a willingness to improve relations with Japan. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, a member of the Communist Party's Political Bureau, stated at a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya in Malaysia this month: 'Bilateral relations have shown a momentum of improvement and development. This situation deserves to be cherished.' At the end of June, China lifted the ban on imports of Japanese marine products that it had imposed following the release of treated water from Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. It also validated an animal health and quarantine agreement between Japan and China to resume imports of Japanese beef, which have been suspended since 2001. China may be aiming to create distance between Japan and the United States by improving relations with Japan in preparation for an intensified confrontation with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. In Japan, however, concerns that Japanese nationals might be detained in China have spread, mainly among the business community and academic circles, leading to moves to suspend or cancel visits to China or residences in the country. If the safety of Japanese nationals is not ensured, the flow of people traveling between Japan and China will not progress, and building a stable relationship will become difficult. China should be aware of this. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 17, 2025)
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First Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
China jails Japanese man, in his 60s and detained since 2023, for spying; Tokyo says ‘extremely regrettable'
China has jailed a 63-year-old Japanese man for three and a half years for spying. He is among 17 Japanese citizens with business or other connections to China who have been detained in China since 2014 when the Communist regime enacted the anti-spying law. Five Japanese nationals are still held in China. read more A Japanese man was sentenced Wednesday to three and a half years in prison in China on espionage charges, according to the Japanese embassy in Beijing. The embassy did not identify the man, who has been detained since March 2023. Japan's Kyodo News Agency described him as a man in his 60s and an employee of Astellas Pharma Inc., a major Japanese pharmaceutical company. The man was charged with espionage in August and his first hearing was held in November but no details were released. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court did not immediately make an announcement after handing down the sentence. Kenji Kanasugi, the Japanese ambassador to China, called the sentencing 'extremely regrettable.' The Japanese government has protested a series of detentions of its citizens in China. More from World How China's ideologues glorify the Uyghur genocide Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that judicial authorities had handled the case in strict accordance with the law and that China provides a sound environment for Japanese companies and workers. 'As long as foreign nationals in China abide by the law and engage in lawful employment, there is nothing to worry about,' he said. A total of 17 Japanese citizens with business or other connections to China have been detained since 2014, when China enacted the anti-spying law. Five remain in China, Kyodo reported. A Japanese diplomat was detained for questioning in 2022 and released hours later, prompting strong protests from Japan. Kanasugi was present at Wednesday's ruling, but Japanese reporters were not allowed inside the courtroom. He told reporters that Japan has demanded and will continue to demand the early release of detained Japanese nationals, adding that such detentions are 'one of the biggest obstacles to improving people-to-people exchanges and public sentiment between Japan and China.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A statement released by the Japanese embassy in Beijing urged the Chinese government to ensure the humane treatment of detainees and to improve the transparency of the judicial process. Japan considers China's growing influence in the region as a threat to its national security and economy, and the risks of getting caught in China on espionage allegations are a growing concern in Japan, including its business community. A safety handbook for visitors to China, published by the Japanese embassy in Beijing, urges visitors to use extra caution. (This is an agency copy. Except for the headline, the copy has not been edited by Firstpost staff.)
Euronews
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Son of Chinese journalist jailed on espionage charges calls for his release
The son of a Chinese journalist sentenced to seven years in jail on espionage charges has called for his father's release, urging authorities to overturn a conviction that has raised alarm over Beijing's increasing crackdown on press freedom. Dong Yuyu, a former senior editor at the Communist Party-affiliated Guangming Daily, was detained in February 2022 while having lunch with a Japanese diplomat in Beijing. His son, Dong Yifu, speaking at the National Press Club in Washington on Monday, urged Japanese authorities to support his father's appeal by proving that his diplomatic meetings had no connection to espionage. 'It is a press freedom issue. It is a human rights issue. It has very little to do with national security or espionage,' he said. The elder Dong's arrest, just two months before his planned retirement, shocked journalists and diplomats in China, where it is common for reporters to maintain contact with foreign officials as part of their work. The Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court sentenced him in November 2023 after prosecutors presented eight meetings with Japanese diplomats as evidence against him, his family says. Dong Yuyu was known for advocating constitutional democracy, political reform, and government accountability in his articles — topics that were once open for discussion in party-affiliated media but have since fallen out of favour. He was previously a Nieman fellow at Harvard University and later held academic positions at Keio University and Hokkaido University in Japan before returning to China. Despite his imprisonment, Dong's son says he remains in good health, maintaining his fitness with daily exercise. However, he is only allowed a few hours of sunlight per year and has not been permitted to see his wife. His lawyer, who visits monthly, delivers handwritten letters from his wife, and the elder Dong has prepared a 45-page appeal document contesting his conviction. The conviction has drawn widespread condemnation from press freedom advocates. Reporters Without Borders has labelled China 'the world's largest prison for journalists', reporting that more than 100 are detained. Last Friday, the US State Department called for Dong's immediate and unconditional release, while former US Ambassador Nicholas Burns previously condemned the verdict as unjust on X.
