World News | Tokyo demands China release Japanese nationals detained in Beijing

TOKYO, March 27 (AP) — Tokyo has asked China to release a Japanese national detained in Beijing earlier this month, the top Japanese government spokesman said Monday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a news conference that Chinese authorities notified the Japanese embassy in China that a Japanese man in his 50s had been detained in Beijing in early March on suspicion of violating domestic law.

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The Japanese government has since called for the early release of the Japanese national, Matsuno said.

Japan also asked Chinese authorities to allow the man access to Japanese consulate officials. He said the Japanese government was providing the man with as much support as possible, including communicating with relevant parties.

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Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma Inc. acknowledged that the man detained in Beijing was an employee of the company, but declined to disclose further details, including his name, title and whether he is based in China. The company said it was seeking information from Japan’s foreign ministry.

There are more than a dozen other cases involving Japanese citizens with business or other ties to China who have been arrested on charges including espionage.

A Japanese diplomat was detained for questioning in 2022 and released hours later, sparking an outcry from Japan’s foreign ministry.

Tokyo and Beijing have grown increasingly at odds in recent years as Japan sees China’s growing influence in the region as a threat to its national security and economy. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)