Japanese citizen sentenced to 3 years in prison in Chinese court for espionage

A Chinese court sentenced a Japanese citizen to three and a half years in prison on Wednesday (July 16) local time on espionage charges, the Japanese embassy in Beijing said, citing a report by the Japanese news agency Kyodo News. According to a report by the Japanese news agency Kyodo News, Japanese Ambassador Kenji Kanasugi told reporters that the Intermediate People’s Court in Beijing had found the employee of Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma Inc. guilty of espionage. “This is very regrettable. The Japanese government will continue to press for and support his early release,” Kanasugi said. The accused Japanese citizen was detained in March 2023, just before he was due to return to the country. He was formally arrested in October 2023 and charged in August 2024.