(Kyodo) — A Japanese employee of a major heavy electric machinery manufacturer’s China unit has been detained in the country, possibly over attempts to take products related to rare earths overseas, for which Beijing has tightened export controls, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday.
The details of how the worker may have acted illegally in China remain unknown. The recent detention of a Japanese national could further escalate bilateral tensions over remarks that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made last November regarding an attack on Taiwan.
In January, China strengthened controls of Japan-bound shipments of dual-use items that can be used for both civilian and military purposes, including rare earths.
The sources said Chinese customs authorities appear to have regarded the Japanese employee’s behavior as problematic, but they do not suspect the worker was engaged in espionage activities.
The worker was detained in May in the northeastern port city of Dalian, the sources said.
China dominates the global supply of rare earths, which are essential for manufacturing high-tech products ranging from electric vehicles to weapons.
In July last year, a Chinese court sentenced a Japanese man working for Astellas Pharma to three years and six months in prison over his engagement in spying activities.
The former executive at the pharmaceutical company’s China unit was detained in March 2023, just ahead of his scheduled return to Japan. He had served as a senior official of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China.
The ongoing diplomatic feud between the two Asian neighbors stems from Takaichi’s parliamentary comments that suggested an attack by mainland China on Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island Beijing claims, could prompt a response by the Japan Self-Defense Forces in support of the United States.