By Shannon Tiezzi
Japan’s government said the men were from the private sector.
Japan announced on Wednesday that two of its citizens have been detained in China, and Beijing confirmed media reports saying the two Japanese citizens were suspected of being spies.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday that two Japanese nationals were detained by Chinese authorities in May. The two citizens, both men in their 50s, according to Suga, were being held in Zhejiang and Liaoning provinces respectively. Suga said that neither man was a Japanese government official, but were both from the private sector. He denied that Japan sends spies to China (or any other country, for that matter).
“Absolutely, our country hasn’t done such a thing,” Suga said, according to Kyodo News Agency.
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei briefly addressed the report in a regular press conference. “Relevant authorities of China arrested in accordance with the law two Japanese on suspicion of acting as spies in China,” Hong said. “The Japanese side has been informed of that.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat