A Japanese citizen detained in the People’s Republic of China is suspected of espionage and will be prosecuted, the Beijing regime said on Monday.
“A Japanese citizen is suspected of being involved in espionage activities in violation of the Criminal Code and the Anti-Espionage Law of the People’s Republic of China,” Mao Ning, spokesman for the Beijing Foreign Ministry, said.
“The Chinese authorities have taken coercive measures” against the suspect in order to initiate “criminal prosecution,” the same spokeswoman said at a press conference.
This Monday, ahead of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s announcement, Tokyo called for the release “without great delay” of the Japanese national.
The Tokyo Embassy in Beijing was informed “this month that a Japanese man between the ages of 50 and 60 was arrested in Beijing for violating Chinese laws,” Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said on Monday.
The Japanese representative added that the Tokyo consulate in the Chinese capital has already asked the Beijing authorities to “visit” a Japanese citizen.
The detainee is an employee of the Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas, a source at France Presse confirmed, refusing to comment further.
According to the Tokyo press, the arrested citizen worked in China for two decades.
Japan’s Kyodo news agency indicated that he was “a former high-ranking official of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the People’s Republic of China” and that he was arrested shortly before the date he planned to “return”.
“China is a country that respects the rule of law. Foreign citizens in China must respect Chinese laws. Those who do not respect the law and commit crimes or misdemeanors are subject to prosecution,” said Mao Ning.
“In recent years, there have been similar cases involving Japanese citizens. Japan should better discipline and “clean up” its citizens,” Mao added.
In October 2019, a Japanese university professor was arrested in Beijing on charges of espionage and released a month after his arrest.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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