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The Mainichi
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Ruling on Japanese businessman engaged in spying in China finalized
BEIJING (Kyodo) -- The ruling on a Japanese businessman who was convicted earlier this month by a Chinese court for engaging in spying and sentenced to three years and six months in prison has been finalized as he did not appeal it by the deadline on Monday, according to the Japanese Embassy in Beijing. The ruling by Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court on July 16 did not specify how the man in his 60s working for Astellas Pharma Inc. acted illegally. But sources close to diplomatic ties have said the court judged he provided information to a Japanese intelligence agency and received rewards. The embassy said Monday it will continue to call for the early release of the Japanese citizen. Japanese Ambassador Kenji Kanasugi said on July 16 after attending the court that he cannot reveal details of the ruling at the request of the convicted man, adding explanation provided at the court "lacked transparency by our standards." Since China's counterespionage law first came into force in 2014, 17 Japanese citizens including the Astellas Pharma employee have been detained for alleged spying, according to the sources. Chinese authorities recognized some of the 17 have provided information to Japan's Public Security Intelligence Agency, according to the sources. 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.
Japan Forward
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Forward
Enact Anti-Espionage Laws to Rescue Japanese Jailed in China
このページを 日本語 で読む A Japanese businessman in his 60s working for Astellas Pharma Inc in China has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for spying. The decision was announced by the Beijing No 2 Intermediate People's Court. China detained the pharmaceutical company executive and longtime China resident in Beijing in March 2023 and charged him with "espionage." The trial was closed to Japanese media. Furthermore, no specifics of the charges were made public. The trumped-up charges and trial are equally outrageous. It is unacceptable that the Chinese government has on multiple occasions unjustly detained Japanese citizens and given them unreasonable sentences after secret trials. The regime led by Xi Jinping should immediately release the Astella Pharma employee in question. It must also release all other Japanese nationals currently being detained. Concerning the court's decision, Japan's ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi said: "It is extremely regrettable that a guilty verdict has been handed down. We will continue to support the man and call for his early release." Japan's foreign ministry also reacted after the verdict was announced. It formally demanded to the Chinese embassy in Tokyo an early release of all Japanese prisoners, including the Astella Pharma executive. The government must continue to protest ー even more strongly ー until their release is secured. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, members of his Cabinet, and other ruling party officials also need to speak out. They should bear in mind that their resolve to protect Japanese citizens is being tested. At least 17 Japanese have been detained since China implemented its revised anti-espionage law in 2014. The Astellas Pharma employee is the 12th person to receive a prison sentence under it. In fact, just this May a Shanghai court sentenced a Japanese man in his 50s to 12 years in prison for "espionage." Prime Minister Ishiba on June 22. (©Sankei) Nevertheless, China's arrest of this pharmaceutical company employee came as a shock to the local Japanese community. He had also served as vice chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce in China, a business group made up of Japanese companies operating in China. This ruling once again highlights the dangers of Japanese companies sending their employees to work in China. After all, it remains a dictatorship under the Chinese Communist Party. China's judicial system is intentionally opaque. The anti-espionage law has extremely vague definitions of criminal conduct. Charges under it lead to arrests, prosecutions, and trials conducted in secrecy. The Chinese Communist Party stands supreme and directs the judicial and legislative branches as it sees fit. There is no hope for the separation of powers. As a result, the law is applied arbitrarily, in line with the wishes of the Party. When Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on July 10, Iwaya reaffirmed his commitment to promoting a "strategic mutually beneficial relationship." However, it is outrageous for him to trumpet the promotion of mutually beneficial relations in the current situation. Is he ignoring the situation where Japanese citizens continue to languish in Chinese jail cells? Iwaya should get serious about promoting the interests of the people of Japan. Western countries with anti-espionage laws have sometimes secured the release of their citizens detained in China by exchanging arrested Chinese spies for them. It is high time that Japan enacted its own anti-spying laws. Such laws should be implemented fairly and used to rescue Japanese nationals held abroad. Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun このページを 日本語 で読む
Japan Times
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Astellas employee won't appeal spying conviction in China
A Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma in his 60s, who was sentenced to three years and six months in prison for espionage in China on Wednesday, has no intention to appeal the ruling for now, informed sources said Saturday. As China uses a two-tier court system, those who are dissatisfied with the first ruling can appeal to a higher court. In the Astellas employee's case, his sentence will be finalized if he does not file an appeal by the deadline in late July. A Beijing district court that imposed the prison sentence on the employee is believed to have found him guilty of espionage for providing information about Chinese politics and the economy to an intelligence agency. Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi and other Japanese Embassy officials were allowed to observe Wednesday's sentencing session. Kanasugi said that the sentence was "extremely regrettable," but he did not provide details of the ruling presented in court. The employee was detained by Chinese authorities in March 2023, when he was about to leave China after completing his assignment. He was indicted in August 2024. The administration of Chinese President Xi Jinping, which places importance on national security, established an anti-espionage law in 2014 to enhance the detection of spies. Since then, 17 Japanese nationals have been detained for alleged espionage activities, including five who are still in custody. The Japanese government will continue to press for the early release of all of them.
19-07-2025
- Politics
Astellas Employee Intends Not to Appeal Conviction in China
News from Japan World Jul 19, 2025 18:32 (JST) Beijing, July 19 (Jiji Press)--A Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma Inc. in his 60s, who was sentenced to three years and six months in prison for espionage in China on Wednesday, has no intention to appeal the ruling for now, informed sources said Saturday. As China uses a two-tier court system, those who are dissatisfied with the first ruling can appeal to a higher court. In the Astellas employee's case, his sentence will be finalized if he does not file an appeal by the deadline in late July. A Beijing district court that imposed the prison sentence on the employee is believed to have found him guilty of espionage for providing information about Chinese politics and the economy to an intelligence agency. Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi and other Japanese Embassy officials were allowed to observe Wednesday's sentencing session. Kanasugi said that the sentence was "extremely regrettable," but he did not provide details of the ruling presented in court. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Free Malaysia Today
18-07-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
China jails Japanese national for espionage, says embassy
Japanese ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi speaks during a news conference in Beijing. (Kyodo News/AP pic) BEIJING : A court in China sentenced a Japanese businessman to three-and-a-half years in prison on Wednesday for spying, Tokyo's ambassador in Beijing said. The man, an employee of the Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas, was detained in March 2023 and placed under formal arrest in October. He was 'sentenced to three years and six months in prison for espionage activities', Kenji Kanasugi, Japanese ambassador to China, told Japanese media after the trial in Beijing. 'It is extremely regrettable that such a guilty verdict was issued,' he said. A foreign ministry spokesman in Beijing said China's judicial organs 'handle cases in strict accordance with the law'. 'As long as foreign personnel in China and coming to China abide by the law… there is nothing to be worried or anxious about,' spokesman Lin Jian told a regular news conference when asked about the Japanese businessman's case. Five Japanese nationals, including the Astellas official, are in custody or serving prison terms in China, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. Tokyo has repeatedly called on Beijing to release them, and Wednesday's sentence deals a blow to ties, long frayed over territorial disputes, Japan's colonial history and other flashpoints. 'In light of the sentence, we have once again strongly urged the Chinese side for the early release of the Japanese national concerned in this case as well as others detained,' Tokyo's embassy in Beijing said in a statement. It also urged China 'to ensure their legitimate rights and humane treatment during detention and to improve the transparency of the judicial process'. Beijing's foreign ministry said it would provide Japan the ability to 'perform consular duties'. The detained man had reportedly worked in China for two decades and was previously a senior executive at a major Japanese business lobby in the country. He was planning to return home before his sudden detention, according to Japan's Kyodo News Agency.
