Washington D.C. – NTD, March 24, 2025
Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Iwaya Takeshi said on March 22 that Beijing’s Counter-Espionage Law lacks transparency and called for the release of Japanese individuals detained under the law.
During the Sixth China-Japan High-Level Economic Dialogue in Tokyo on March 22, attended by eight officials from each country including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Takeshi said that the law, implemented in 2014, discourages Japanese citizens from visiting and doing business in China.
There are 17 Japanese nationals arrested and imprisoned in China under the law.
Among them is a prominent businessman and former senior official of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry who was serving as a senior employee at China-based Astellas Pharma Inc. when he was detained on suspicion of espionage—shortly before he was scheduled to return to Japan, according to a Nov. 28, 2023, report by local media outlet Kyodo News.
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on the March 22 talks that Japan “once again” called on China to release the detained Japanese citizens to ensure “their safety and security.”
