TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan is continuing its efforts to seek the prompt release of an employee of Astellas Pharma who has been detained in China since March, Japan’s top government spokesman said on Thursday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno was speaking at a press conference after Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday that Beijing was expected to decide soon on whether to formally arrest the Japanese businessman, whom it detained on suspicion of espionage.
The Chinese foreign ministry, when asked if the Japanese employee had been arrested, said foreign nationals in China must abide by the country’s laws or be prosecuted otherwise.
“There have been similar such cases of Japanese citizens recently. The Japanese government should step up in educating and reminding its citizens about this,” spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing.
(Reporting by Kaori Kaneko in Tokyo and Yew Lun Tian in Beijing; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Bernadette Baum)
