Chinese court sentences a Japanese man to more than 3 years in prison on espionage charges

BEIJING (AP) — A Japanese man was sentenced Wednesday to three and a half years in prison in China on espionage charges, according to the Japanese embassy in Beijing.

The embassy did not identify the man, who has been detained since March 2023. Japan’s Kyodo News Agency described him as a man in his 60s and an employee of Astellas Pharma Inc., a major Japanese pharmaceutical company.

The man was charged with espionage in August and his first hearing was held in November but no details were released.