The detention and legal action against Japanese nationals inChinais increasing public worry and discouraging visits,JapanThe government has issued a warning, with scholars and business professionals stating they are either implementing safeguards or refraining from travel entirely.
Tokyo voiced its worry on Wednesday following a Beijing court's decision to sentence a Japanese worker from the pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma to three years and six months in prison for espionage.
A man, whose name has not been disclosed but is said to be in his sixties, was first arrested in March 2023 while he was getting ready to depart China after being employed there. He wasindicted last August, and the initial court appearance in his case occurred three months later.
The court hearing held on Wednesday was closed to the media, although representatives from the Japanese embassy in Beijing were allowed to be present, according to Jiji Press.
It is deeply regrettable that a guilty verdict was handed down," said Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi to reporters following the court session. "We will keep strongly advocating for his early release and provide him with all possible support.
Later in the day in Tokyo, a spokesperson from the foreign ministry stated that the detention of Japanese citizens "has emerged as a significant obstacle to people-to-people interactions ... and progress in public opinion," according to Jiji Press.
The official urged China to "increase the openness" of its legal processes, considering that the hearings in this case have taken place in secret and limited evidence has been disclosed.
As per the foreign ministry, 17 Japanese citizens have been detained in China on allegations of espionage or other offenses since 2015. Five are still incarcerated.
In 2014, Beijing implemented stringent anti-espionage laws and urged citizens to alert authorities about potential risks to national security. Critics argue that the legislation is ambiguously written, allowing for wide-ranging interpretations regarding what constitutes a threat to national security.
"I would never go to China, whether for business or a holiday," stated Ken Kato, a businessman based in Tokyo who also serves as a director at Human Rights in Asia and is known for his strong criticism of arbitrary imprisonment by governments in the area.
"I have been frequently cited regarding my human rights efforts, and I believe it's highly probable that I would be detained if I attempted to enter China," he stated to This Week in Asia.
I believe many Japanese individuals look at this kind of news and feel hesitant about visiting a country where they might face numerous inquiries and possibly be detained for several years.
Data regarding Japanese residents in China supports this. In 2018, over 140,000 Japanese people were living in China. Last year, as reported by the Nikkei newspaper, this number had decreased to 97,538.
Japanese executives sent to China to operate in regional offices are reportedly seeking different assignments, mainly because of assaults on their relatives in recent years.
Assaults on Japanese
Last June, a Chinese individual attacked a Japanese woman and her child while they were waiting at a school bus stop in Suzhou, using aChinese woman who eventually succumbed to her injuriesShe continued to struggle while attempting to safeguard the child. In September, a 10-year-old boy passed away following a stabbing near his school in Shenzhen.
"Japanese families are no longer willing to take that risk, and the chance of being arrested on ambiguous espionage charges only makes it less attractive," Kato said.
Maya Hamada, a Chinese literature professor at Kobe University, traveled to China in late April to participate in an academic conference in Fuzhou and acknowledged that she took necessary measures before departing Japan.
I have been to China many times, and I wouldn't claim to be anxious about going there, but I am cautious about my words and actions during my visits. I also opted for a short-term tourist visa this time, which I believe is more secure than entering the country on a work visa," she mentioned.
I also feel secure because I am studying Chinese literature, which is not contentious, but professors in fields like politics, economics, or international relations, for instance, need to be more cautious.
Several instances have occurred where Chinese scholars studying at Japanese universities were held in custody following short trips back to their native country.
Among the most notable individuals who vanished was Yuan Keqin, a faculty member at Hokkaido University of Education, who was arrested in 2019 and later accused of espionage. In May of last year, a court in Jilin province handed down a six-year prison sentence to him.
This policy is harmful as it only damages the relationship between China and Japan and likely harms China more," stated Kato. "Businesspeople are unwilling to visit; professors no longer feel secure and cannot collaborate with Chinese scholars; and no Japanese individual wishes to travel there due to the fear of potential arrest.
Maybe it's time for Japan to enact comparable espionage laws and begin detaining Chinese individuals so we can facilitate prisoner swaps.
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This piece was first published in the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), a top news outlet covering China and Asia.
