Japan's foreign minister calls for early release of detained national during talks in China

Japan's foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said he called on Beijing for the early release of a detained Japanese national during a meeting with Chinese diplomat Qin Gang held on Sunday.

Hayashi is visiting China and met with his counterpart Qin, marking the first visit to Beijing for a Japanese government foreign minister in over three years, as the two countries seek common ground amid rising regional tension.

The visit comes a week after a spokesperson of Astellas Pharma Inc said its employee was detained in China for unknown reasons.

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