Asia-Pacific

Chinese Professor Missing in China Back to Japan

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The Chinese flag

Jiji Press

17:00 JST, March 14, 2025

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — A Chinese professor of Kobe Gakuin University in the western Japan prefecture of Hyogo returned to Japan in January, after going missing during his temporary stay in China, university officials said Friday.

It is not known whether Hu Shiyun, who went missing after entering China in summer 2023, had been detained by Chinese authorities.

According to the university, Hu’s family was unable to contact the professor after he returned temporarily to the country, but he came back to Japan on Jan. 24. He has not told the university side anything about why he went missing, but there is no problem with his health. The university has not decided whether he will give lectures in the term starting in April.

Born in Jiangsu Province in eastern China, Hu started working at the university in 2015, teaching classical Chinese literature.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s administration has prioritized national security, strengthening surveillance activities on foreigners and Chinese citizens linked to foreign countries. In July 2023, the government enacted a revised antiespionage law to enlarge the definition of espionage, expanding concerns over arbitrary interpretations and application of the law due to its vague provisions.