China jails Japanese businessman for espionage, embassy says

Astellas Pharma worker sentenced to 3 and a fractional years successful prison, Japan’s embassy successful Beijing says.

A Japanese businessman has been sentenced to 3 and a fractional years successful China for espionage, Japan’s embassy successful Beijing has said.

The man, described by Japan’s Kyodo News Agency arsenic an worker of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. successful his 60s, was archetypal detained successful March 2023 and placed nether ceremonial apprehension successful October.

“In airy of the sentence, we person erstwhile again powerfully urged the Chinese broadside for the aboriginal merchandise of the Japanese nationalist acrophobic successful this lawsuit arsenic good arsenic others detained,” Tokyo’s embassy successful Beijing said successful a connection connected Wednesday.

China should besides “ensure their morganatic rights and humane attraction during detention” and “improve the transparency of the judicial process”, the embassy said.

Japanese ambassador Kenji Kanasugi called the verdict “extremely regrettable” successful remarks to the media aft the proceedings astatine Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court.

Tokyo has protested a bid of detentions of its citizens successful China.

At full of 17 Japanese, including the Astellas Pharma employee, person been detained since 2014, erstwhile China introduced a counterespionage law, according to Kyodo.

Among those, 5 are inactive successful China, according to the quality agency.