China arrests two Japanese men on suspicion of espionage, Japanese media reports
Detentions took place in May, with one suspect held near the border with North Korea and the other near an unspecified military facility in Zhejiang province, the Asahi newspaper says
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 30 September, 2015, 9:31am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 30 September, 2015, 12:32pm
Staff Reporters
China arrests two Japanese men on suspicion of espionage, Japanese media reports
Two Japanese men have been arrested in China on suspicion of espionage, Japanese media has reported, citing an anonymous Tokyo official.
The Kyodo news agency reported that a senior Japanese government official had briefed local media early on Wednesday.
The official told reporters that it seemed the Chinese authorities were “making an excuse to link [the two] to suspected espionage”.
The Japanese newspaper, Asahi, reported that both arrests took place last May – one in northeastern Liaoning province and the other in eastern Zhejiang province.
One of the suspects was detained near the border with North Korea, while the other was arrested near an unspecified military facility in Zhejiang, Asahi reported.
The Japanese Foreign Ministry and relevant entities are looking into the case for more information.
Under the leadership of China's President Xi Jinping, Beijing has been stepping up its watch over foreign organisations and individuals.
In line with this, a new counter-espionage law, which updates rules to more closely target foreign spies, came into force in November last year.
In 2010, four Japanese nationals who worked for the Japanese construction firm, Fujita Corp, were temporarily detained in China on suspicion of entering a military zone in Hebei province and taking photographs without permission.
Additional reporting Kyodo
