On the 30th, Ambassador Kenji Kanasugi met for the first time since taking up his post last month with a Japanese male employee of a major pharmaceutical company who was arrested in Beijing, China last year for his involvement in espionage. There were no major health problems with the man.
A Japanese male employee in his 50s at Astellas Pharma, a major pharmaceutical company, was detained by national security authorities in Beijing, the capital of China, in March last year on suspicion of being involved in espionage, and was subsequently arrested.
Usually, Japanese embassy staff meet with the man, but on the 30th, Ambassador Kenji Kanasugi met with him for the first time since taking up his post last month.
The visit took place in the morning at a detention facility in Beijing for about 30 minutes, and there were no major health problems with the man.
His predecessor, Ambassador Hideo Taru, also met with the man in November last year, before he left his post.
The local Japanese embassy said, ``We will continue to strongly advocate for his early release.We will continue to provide all possible support, including contacting his family and related parties.''
Xi Jinping's leadership has repeatedly expressed a stance of tightening crackdowns on espionage, and many foreigners, including Japanese, have been detained so far, but he has not clearly indicated what kind of behavior would be considered problematic. However, there are growing concerns among foreign companies.