THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
April 5, 2023 at 14:54 JST
A Japanese national taken into custody in China in March was reported to be in good health by a Japanese Embassy official in Beijing who was finally allowed to meet with him, according to the government's most senior spokesman.
The official met the man, who works for the Japanese firm Astellas Pharma Inc., on April 4, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno on April 5.
The meeting was held after Japan’s foreign minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, met with his Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang, in Beijing on April 2 and demanded the immediate release of the man.
Masakazu Tokura, the head of Japan’s largest business lobby, also voiced concern over the matter in Tokyo on April 3.
Tokura, the chairman of Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), urged Wu Jianghao, China’s newly appointed ambassador to Japan, to clarify the situation immediately.
Tokura said China needs to provide “a business environment where companies can operate with confidence.”
“Otherwise, Japanese companies will give up doing business in China,” he said.
Tokura revealed those remarks in a news conference held on April 4.
The Astellas employee was detained by Chinese security authorities last month, fueling suspicions he could be charged with spying.
(This article was compiled from reports by staff writers Takashi Narazaki and Hideki Aota.)
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The headquarters of Astellas Pharma Inc. in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
