First Trial Hearing Held for Astellas Worker Detained in China

Jiji Press

11:31 JST, December 10, 2024

Beijing (Jiji Press)—A court in Beijing late last month held the first hearing of a trial of a Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma Inc., who has been charged with espionage in China, people familiar with relations between the two countries said Monday.

Details of the hearing have not been disclosed. In China, trials for cases involving national security are generally held behind closed doors.

The employee of the Japanese drugmaker in his 50s was detained in March 2023 just before returning home following the completion of his term in China. He was charged in August this year.

Since Chinese President Xi Jinping enacted an anti-espionage law in 2014, at least 17 Japanese nationals have been detained for alleged espionage activities. Of them, five, including the Astellas worker, are still in custody. The law has raised concern about its arbitrary enforcement.