logo
Chinese court sentences a Japanese man to more than 3 years in prison on espionage charges

Chinese court sentences a Japanese man to more than 3 years in prison on espionage charges

Independent16-07-2025
A Japanese business person 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.
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, was present at the ruling but Japanese reporters were not allowed inside the courtroom, Kyodo reported.
The Japanese government has protested a series of detentions of its citizens in China. An embassy statement called the sentencing 'regrettable' and said the detentions are 'one of the biggest obstacles to improving people-to-people exchanges and public sentiment between Japan and China.'
At total of 17 Japanese, including the defendant in this case, have been detained since 2014, when China enacted the anti-spying law. Five remain in China, Kyodo reported.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Canada condemns Hong Kong arrest warrants targeting pro-democracy activists
Canada condemns Hong Kong arrest warrants targeting pro-democracy activists

Reuters

time2 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Canada condemns Hong Kong arrest warrants targeting pro-democracy activists

TORONTO, July 26 (Reuters) - The Canadian government on Saturday condemned Hong Kong authorities issuing arrest warrants for pro-democracy activists based overseas. "The individuals targeted yesterday under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law in Hong Kong include Canadians and people with close ties to Canada," the government said in a statement. "This attempt by Hong Kong authorities to conduct transnational repression abroad, including by issuing threats, intimidation or coercion against Canadians or those in Canada, will not be tolerated." Hong Kong's national security police announced arrest warrants for 19 activists based overseas, accusing them of subversion under a stringent law, marking the largest such tally yet.

Hong Kong issues arrest warrants for 19 activists based overseas
Hong Kong issues arrest warrants for 19 activists based overseas

The Guardian

time14 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Hong Kong issues arrest warrants for 19 activists based overseas

Hong Kong's national security police have issued arrest warrants for 19 activists based overseas, accusing them of subversion under a stringent national security law, marking the largest such tally yet. They are accused of organising or participating in the Hong Kong Parliament, a pro-democracy group that authorities in the Asian financial hub say intended to subvert state power, under the law Beijing imposed in 2020 after months of pro-democracy protests in 2019. The activists are accused of having launched a referendum or run as candidates in the unofficial Hong Kong Parliament group, which authorities say aims to achieve self-determination and draft a Hong Kong constitution. Police said the organisation sought to overthrow the governments of China and Hong Kong by unlawful means, and that further arrests may follow. Among those named are the businessman Elmer Yuen, the commentator Victor Ho, and the activists Johnny Fok and Tony Choi. Four of them are subject to previous arrest warrants, each carrying a reward of 1m Hong Kong dollars (£95,000). Among the remaining 15, for each of whom police are offering a reward of 200,000 Hong Kong dollars, are those said to have organised or run in the election and been sworn in as its councillors. Feng Chongyi, a China studies professor at the University of Technology Sydney who was also listed, decried the bounty against him as 'ridiculous'. 'They've got the power, they've got the influence overseas, they want to control everything even overseas,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald. The UK's foreign and home secretaries condemned the move in a joint statement, calling the arrests 'another example of transnational repression' and saying it damages Hong Kong's international reputation. '[The UK] will not tolerate attempts by foreign governments to coerce, intimidate, harass or harm their critics overseas,' they said in a statement on Friday. In response, the Chinese embassy in the UK said the British government's remarks 'constitute a gross interference' in China's internal affairs and the rule of law in Hong Kong. 'China urges the UK to abandon its colonial mentality, stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs … stop shielding criminals,' it said. Australia's foreign minister, Penny Wong, also strongly objected to the arrest warrants. 'Freedom of expression and assembly are essential to our democracy,' she said on X. 'We have consistently expressed our strong objections to China and Hong Kong on the broad and extraterritorial application of Hong Kong's national security legislation, and we will continue to do so.' The former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the guarantee of a high degree of autonomy, including freedom of speech, under a 'one country, two systems' formula. Critics of the national security law say government are using it to stifle dissent. Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have repeatedly said the law was vital to restore stability after the city was rocked for months by sometimes violent anti-government and anti-China protests in 2019. Police reiterated that national security offences were serious crimes with extraterritorial reach and urged the wanted individuals to return to Hong Kong and surrender. 'If offenders voluntarily give up continuing to violate the crime, turn themselves in, truthfully confess their crimes, or provide key information that helps solve other cases, they may be eligible for reduced punishment,' they said in a statement. Police also said that aiding, abetting, or funding others to participate in the Hong Kong Parliament group could be a criminal offence.

US condemns Hong Kong's arrest warrants targeting overseas activists
US condemns Hong Kong's arrest warrants targeting overseas activists

Reuters

time4 hours ago

  • Reuters

US condemns Hong Kong's arrest warrants targeting overseas activists

WASHINGTON, July 26 (Reuters) - The United States on Saturday condemned Hong Kong's issuance of arrest warrants for activists based overseas, including some U.S.-based individuals. "We will not tolerate the Hong Kong government's attempts to apply its national security laws to silence or intimidate Americans or anyone on U.S. soil," U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said in a statement, adding that "the Hong Kong government continues to erode the autonomy that Beijing itself promised to the people of Hong Kong following the 1997 handover."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store