Enact Anti-Espionage Laws to Rescue Japanese Jailed in China

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A Japanese businessman in his 60s working for Astellas Pharma Inc in China has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for spying. The decision was announced by the Beijing No 2 Intermediate People's Court. China detained the pharmaceutical company executive and longtime China resident in Beijing in March 2023 and charged him with "espionage."

The trial was closed to Japanese media. Furthermore, no specifics of the charges were made public.

The trumped-up charges and trial are equally outrageous. It is unacceptable that the Chinese government has on multiple occasions unjustly detained Japanese citizens and given them unreasonable sentences after secret trials. The regime led by Xi Jinping should immediately release the Astella Pharma employee in question. It must also release all other Japanese nationals currently being detained.

Japan's Weak Call for Justice

Concerning the court's decision, Japan's ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi said: "It is extremely regrettable that a guilty verdict has been handed down. We will continue to support the man and call for his early release."

Japan's foreign ministry also reacted after the verdict was announced. It formally demanded to the Chinese embassy in Tokyo an early release of all Japanese prisoners, including the Astella Pharma executive. The government must continue to protest ー even more strongly ー until their release is secured.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, members of his Cabinet, and other ruling party officials also need to speak out. They should bear in mind that their resolve to protect Japanese citizens is being tested.

At least 17 Japanese have been detained since China implemented its revised anti-espionage law in 2014. The Astellas Pharma employee is the 12th person to receive a prison sentence under it. In fact, just this May a Shanghai court sentenced a Japanese man in his 50s to 12 years in prison for "espionage."

*Prime Minister Ishiba on June 22. (©Sankei)*

Representing the Interests of Japan

Nevertheless, China's arrest of this pharmaceutical company employee came as a shock to the local Japanese community. He had also served as vice chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce in China, a business group made up of Japanese companies operating in China.

This ruling once again highlights the dangers of Japanese companies sending their employees to work in China. After all, it remains a dictatorship under the Chinese Communist Party.

China's judicial system is intentionally opaque. The anti-espionage law has extremely vague definitions of criminal conduct. Charges under it lead to arrests, prosecutions, and trials conducted in secrecy. The Chinese Communist Party stands supreme and directs the judicial and legislative branches as it sees fit. There is no hope for the separation of powers. As a result, the law is applied arbitrarily, in line with the wishes of the Party.

When Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on July 10, Iwaya reaffirmed his commitment to promoting a "strategic mutually beneficial relationship." However, it is outrageous for him to trumpet the promotion of mutually beneficial relations in the current situation. Is he ignoring the situation where Japanese citizens continue to languish in Chinese jail cells? Iwaya should get serious about promoting the interests of the people of Japan.

Japan Needs Anti-Espionage Laws

Western countries with anti-espionage laws have sometimes secured the release of their citizens detained in China by exchanging arrested Chinese spies for them.

It is high time that Japan enacted its own anti-spying laws. Such laws should be implemented fairly and used to rescue Japanese nationals held abroad.

Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun

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