Two Japanese men are being held in China for suspected espionage, a high-ranking Japanese government official said Wednesday.
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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news briefing that “relevant authorities” had arrested the two “in accordance with the law for engaging in espionage activities in China”.
The Japanese newspaper, Asahi, reported that both arrests took place last May – one in northeastern Liaoning province and the other in eastern Zhejiang province.
China has arrested two Japanese men for spying, though there are few details about the charges. “If there’s anything in common for these two people, it’s that both of them engaged in spying in China”.
“Our country certainly does not do this kind of thing”, Suga said to the media at a presser when asked whether the two men were on a spying mission.
The chief cabinet secretary also declined to comment on reports about the ages and other personal details of the men.
One was detained near the North Korean border while the other was picked up close to a military facility, public broadcaster NHK and the Asahi cited sources as saying.
The men who were arrested were a 55-year-old from Kanagawa prefecture and a 51-year-old from Aichi prefecture, according to Kyodo News.
China has arrested two Japanese citizens over alleged espionage, adding an irritant to unsteady relations between the two countries ahead of plans for a summit later this year.
The announcement came hours after Japanese media had reported the arrests by Chinese officials.
The latest incident suggests that Chinese security authorities may be viewing the case in a harsher light. Authorities at China’s Foreign Ministry also did not immediately respond to inquiries from news agencies.
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Jeff Gillis, Phan-Gillis’ husband, has appealed for the release of his 55-year-old wife stressing her innocence.
