Government to support Japanese sentenced for spying in China: Suga

May 22, 2019

Tokyo--The government will do its utmost to support a Japanese man sentenced in China for espionage, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday.

"We'll give as much assistance as possible from the perspective of protecting Japanese nationals," Suga told a news conference.

A Beijing district court on Tuesday sentenced Hideji Suzuki, head of a Japan-China youth exchange association, to six years in prison and ordered a seizure of assets worth 50,000 yuan for spying.

Suga declined to comment on the trial itself, saying that "the legal process is going on."

Chinese courts have handed down four decisions this month for Japanese nationals suspected of spying activities. Jiji Press