The arrest of male Japanese by China may further agitate fleeing among foreign companies

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

中国当局の日本人男性逮捕、外国企業に一段の動揺走る可能性

2023.10.21 Sat posted at 12:30 JST

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東京（ＣＮＮ） 中国当局が、３月に拘束していた日本人男性を正式に逮捕した。外務省と北京の日本大使館の当局者らが２１日までに明らかにした。

逮捕されたのは東京に拠点を置くアステラス製薬の５０代の社員と報じられている。これを受け、中国国内で事業展開する外国企業は一段の混乱に陥る可能性もある。

松野博一官房長官は、当該の日本人男性の逮捕を確認。中国側に早期の釈放を強く求めているとした。１９日の記者会見で述べた。男性が逮捕されたのは今月中旬だという。

ＮＨＫによると男性は３月、中国の治安機関に北京で拘束された。容疑は同国の刑法と反スパイ法に対する違反。男性は中国に合わせて２０年ほど住んでいたという。

ＣＮＮはこれらの情報を独自に確認できなかった。

外務省は男性の氏名や勤務先の企業、容疑の内容、拘束された場所の詳細について情報を公表していない。ＣＮＮはより多くの情報を求めたが、同省から返答はない。

アステラスの広報担当者は２０日、ＣＮＮの取材に答え、現在は外務省から一段の情報を求めているところであり、声明は発表できないと述べた。

７月、中国は既に広範囲に及んでいた反スパイ法の領域を拡大。専門家らは外国の企業やジャーナリスト、学者らにとって法律上のリスク並びに不透明性が一段と高まる恐れがあると警告していた。

Translation

Tokyo (CNN) Chinese authorities had officially arrested a Japanese man who was detained in March. Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japanese Embassy in Beijing announced this on the 21st.

The person arrested was reported to be an employee in his 50s from the Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma (アステラス製薬). As a result, foreign companies operating in China might find themselves in further  confusion.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno (松野博一)confirmed the arrest of a Japanese male. He strongly urged the Chinese side to release him as soon as possible. He said this at a press conference on the 19th. The man was arrested in the middle of this month.

According to NHK, the man was detained in Beijing by Chinese security agencies in March. The charges were violations of the country's criminal law and anti-espionage law. The man reportedly lived in China up 20 years in total.

CNN was unable to independently verify this information.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not released information about the man's name, the company he works for, the nature of the charges, or details of where he was detained. CNN had requested more information, but the department did not respond.

Astellas spokesperson told CNN on the 20th that the company was currently seeking further information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and could make an announcement.

In July, China expanded its already far-reaching anti-espionage law. Experts had warned that this move could further increase legal risks and uncertainty for foreign companies, journalists, and academics.

              So, this arrest reflects China’s new focus on national security amid tightening relations with the West. It seems that Beijing is increasingly paranoid about the threat of espionage infiltration by other countries. My observation is that American company personnel are rarely arrested for espionage.

Note:

Astellas Pharma Inc. (アステラス製薬) is a Japanese multinational pharmaceutical company, formed on 1 April 2005 from the merger of Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Wikipedia)