Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, confirmed on Monday that China had detained a Japanese professor on suspicion of spying for Tokyo
TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st October, 2019) Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, confirmed on Monday that China had detained a Japanese professor on suspicion of spying for Tokyo.
On Saturday, media reported that in September China had detained an unidentified Japanese professor in his 40s, who taught Chinese history at Japan's Hokkaido University, during his trip to Beijing. Reportedly, the man had formerly been employed by Japan's Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry's National Institute for Defense Studies.
"[The Japanese government] is providing as much support [for the country's national] as possible. Consular staff have met with him and are helping him contact relatives," Suga said at a briefing in Tokyo, providing no further details on the matter.
According to the Nikkei Asian Review media outlet, China has detained 13 Japanese nationals since 2015, nine of whom have been charged with espionage, in its bid to crack down on intelligence-gathering within its borders following the passing of the anti-espionage law in 2014.
