China formally arrests Astellas employee suspected of spying - Kyodo

Japan has recently suffered a backlash from China over the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean. China was Japan's biggest source of imports and its biggest export market, and Japanese companies have spent years building extensive supply chains and manufacturing facilities in the world's second-largest economy.

China has formally arrested a Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma who was detained in March on suspicion of espionage, the Kyodo news agency reported on Thursday. Japan's foreign ministry confirmed the arrest of a Japanese national in his 50s in mid-October but did not say whether the man was an Astellas employee. An Astellas spokesperson said the company was gathering information via Japan’s foreign ministry, declining to comment further.

China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Japanese government has said it was "strongly" demanding that China immediately release its national.

Japanese media have reported that the individual detained has worked in China for 20 years, previously serving as a senior official of the Japanese Chamber Commerce and Industry in China. As part of President Xi Jinping's increased focus on national security, Beijing implemented a new anti-espionage law in July in a move to further tighten restrictions on foreigners. China has said foreign nationals must abide by its laws or risk prosecution.

The arrest could cast a diplomatic and economic chill on Tokyo's relations with Beijing, which is both its rival and closest trading partner. Japan has recently suffered a backlash from China over the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean.

China was Japan's biggest source of imports and its biggest export market, and Japanese companies have spent years building extensive supply chains and manufacturing facilities in the world's second-largest economy. Having previously been a source of cheap labour for Japanese companies, China has become a key market for Japanese manufacturers, including automakers. Imports from China totalled $198 billion last year, while exports to China were $145 billion, according to IMF trade data.

 

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)