Japanese Media: Astellas Employee Jailed in China for Espionage Expected to Be Released in Mid-December and Returned to Japan
Tokyo — A Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma imprisoned in China for espionage is expected to be released in mid-December after serving his full sentence and is likely to be deported to Japan immediately afterwards, Kyodo News reported on November 7, citing several sources close to Japan-China relations.
The man, in his 60s, worked in China for many years, serving as an executive at Astellas's Chinese unit and as a senior official of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China. He was detained in Beijing in March 2023, just before a scheduled return to Japan, and was indicted in August 2024. In July 2025, Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court sentenced him to three years and six months in prison for espionage; the sentence includes the period he spent in detention before the ruling.
After the sentencing, Japan's deputy chief cabinet secretary called the ruling extremely regrettable, and the Japanese government has sought his early release. Reuters reported that Astellas Pharma, Japan's foreign ministry and the Chinese embassy in Tokyo did not respond to its requests for comment. The expected release rests on Japanese media reports citing unnamed sources and has not been officially confirmed by either government. (Source: Kyodo News)
Source: Kyodo News
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于日本东京的国会议事堂（资料图，本站档案图）。 / Photo: The National Diet Building in Tokyo, Japan (file photo, GSM archive).
