A Japanese employee of the drugmaker Astellas Pharma who was jailed in China on espionage charges is expected to be released in mid-December and returned to Japan, Japanese media reported late on Saturday.
Kyodo news agency and the Yomiuri newspaper reported the expected release, citing sources. Neither the Japanese nor the Chinese government has confirmed the reports, and the timing of the release rests on those unnamed sources.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, was detained in March 2023 on suspicion of spying. He was indicted in August 2024 and sentenced in July 2025 to three years and six months in prison. Japan’s deputy chief cabinet secretary described the ruling as “extremely regrettable” after the sentencing.
Astellas Pharma, Japan’s foreign ministry and the Chinese embassy in Tokyo did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters. China’s foreign ministry also did not respond.
The case has been a persistent irritant in relations between Tokyo and Beijing. Ties have deteriorated further since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said last year that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan, the democratically governed island Beijing claims as its own, could trigger a military response from nearby Japan.
China subsequently urged its citizens not to travel to Japan, saying their safety was at risk, and throttled exports to Japan of rare earths, minerals vital to products ranging from cars to weapons.
Sources: Reuters, “Astellas employee imprisoned in China to be released in December, Japanese media report”, https://www.reuters.com/world/china/astellas-employee-imprisoned-china-be-released-december-japanese-media-report-2026-11-08/
Note: The featured image is a file photo of an Astellas facility, not the employee.
