Kobe Gakuin U. Professor Missing After Brief Return to China; Concerns Arise Over Potential Detention by Authorities

By Keiichiro Azuma / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

21:28 JST, March 18, 2024

Beijing – Kobe Gakuin University disclosed on Monday the disappearance of Hu Shiyun, a 63-year-old professor of Chinese nationality associated with the university’s Faculty of Global Communication, since last summer when he temporarily returned to China. There are suspicions that he might have been apprehended by Chinese authorities.

As per the university’s statement, concerns were raised by Hu’s family in Japan last September when they lost contact with him after his return for a brief visit to China. Kobe Gakuin University has sought aid from the Consulate-General of China in Osaka to investigate Hu’s safety and whereabouts, yet no response has been received thus far.

Hu, as indicated by the university, hails from Jiangsu Province and has been a professor at Kobe Gakuin University since 2015 where he specializes in Chinese literature and linguistics.