EDITORIAL | Is China Using Jailed Japanese as a Bargaining Chip?

A Japanese male employee of Astellas Pharma Inc was detained by Chinese authorities on suspicion of espionage in March 2023. Now China has formally indicted him. This is a case of unjust detention and prosecution and we demand the Chinese government release the man immediately.

If things are left as they are, the man's detention is certain to become prolonged. The Japanese government must emphasize that the release of Japanese nationals detained by foreign governments is this nation's top priority. It must achieve the release of these victims immediately.

How He Was Detained

The man in question, who is in his 50s, was detained by state security authorities in Beijing just before he was due to leave China. He was preparing to return to Japan from his overseas posting. Chinese authorities then formally arrested him in October 2023.

He has throughout his ordeal been treated in a most inhumane manner. Up to this point, the Chinese authorities have not disclosed the circumstances of his detention or the specific charges. They simply have announced that he is "suspected of violating the Criminal Law and the Counterespionage Law."

Such a high-handed manner in handling this case is intolerable. 

17 Japanese Detained Under 'Counterespionage Law'

China's counterespionage law was enacted in 2014. Since then, 17 Japanese nationals have been detained in China. Five Japanese are currently being held in China, including the man in question.

In the autumn of 2023, the appeal of another Japanese man was rejected. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in Hunan province for allegedly violating China's counterespionage law. 

When Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Laos in late July 2024, she again called for the early release of the detained Japanese nationals. 

During their meeting, Wang reportedly said Japan-China relations have reached a critical stage where "if we do not move forward, we will be moving backward." He also added, "I hope that Japan will implement a positive and rational China policy." 

But isn't it, in fact, China that has caused the deterioration in bilateral relations?

Xi Jinping's 'National Security' Ploy

This is how the Xi Jinping regime demonstrates that "national security" is of the utmost importance. In July of 2023, it enacted amendments to its counterespionage law. Those amendments significantly expanded the scope of activities that can be considered espionage. Now it no longer covers just "state secrets." Instead, it covers activities such as the provision of "other documents, data, materials or articles relating to national security and interests."  

However, the Chinese authorities have purposely left ambiguous what constitutes "national security and interests." That allows them to apply the provisions of the law in a very arbitrary fashion. 

The Xi regime also continues to call for proactive foreign investment in China. That call comes against the backdrop of the long-term stagnation of the Chinese economy. 

However, unjust prosecutions of the employees of foreign companies for alleged violations of the counterespionage law have increased anxiety among Japanese and other foreign companies doing business in China, to the extent that they are clearly losing interest in investing in China. The end result is that China is harming its own national interest. 

China's Duty to Its Citizens

Protecting the lives and personal safety of its own citizens is any government's most important responsibility. Therefore, Foreign Minister Kamikawa and the foreign ministry should make public the explanations being provided by the Chinese. 

Furthermore, they should do everything in their power to negotiate the release of the detainees. 

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(Read the editorial in Japanese.)

Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun