A Japanese Astellas Pharma employee imprisoned in China on espionage charges is expected to be released in mid-December after completing a three-and-a-half-year sentence, a source familiar with Japan-China relations said on November 7, 2026. The man, in his 60s, was detained in March 2023 and sentenced by Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in July 2025.
The expected release of the Astellas Pharma executive in mid-December would close a case that has weighed on business ties between Japan and China, where the man also served as a senior official of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The detention came amid heightened scrutiny of foreign executives in China.
A Japanese executive of Astellas Pharma imprisoned in China on espionage charges is expected to be released in mid-December after completing his sentence and immediately deported, a source familiar with Japan-China relations said on November 7, 2026. The man, in his 60s, was detained in March 2023 just ahead of his scheduled return to Japan and sentenced by Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in July 2025 to three years and six months in prison.
He would be serving his entire sentence, which includes part of the period between his detention and the ruling, and is likely to be deported to Japan immediately after the expected release, according to the source. He had served as an executive at the pharmaceutical company's Chinese unit and a senior official of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China.
Sino-Japanese tensions have remained high since a diplomatic row over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan. The man was detained just ahead of his scheduled return to Japan. A Japanese diplomat who attended the trial had said that he could not reveal details of the ruling at the request of the convicted man. Other sources familiar with the matter have said he pleaded guilty after Chinese authorities explained to him the legal process of a guilty plea leading to a lighter sentence.
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