India – Hindustan Times, July 16, 2025
The Astellas Pharma executive was sentenced to 3½ years in a case that has added strain to relations between Tokyo and Beijing.
A court in Beijing sentenced a Japanese pharmaceutical executive on Wednesday to 3½ years in prison on charges of espionage, Japan said, in a case that heightened tensions between the two countries and concerns about legal risks for foreign businesspeople in China.
The executive, Hiroshi Nishiyama, was a veteran employee in China for Astellas Pharma who was first detained in March 2023 and accused of espionage, though no details of his alleged wrongdoing were released. China has an extensive definition of national security that has grown further following changes to its law against espionage in 2023.
“We have consistently urged the Chinese side for the early release of Japanese nationals through various channels, including at the leader and foreign minister levels,” the Japanese embassy in Beijing said in a statement on Wednesday. “It is deeply regrettable that a guilty sentence was handed down in this case.”
