Astellas Worker Remains Unsuccessful in Fighting Conviction Judgment
A Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for espionage in China. The employee, in his 60s, was detained in March 2023, indicted in August 2024, and found guilty by a Chinese regional court on July 16, 2025. He provided information about Chinese politics and the economy to intelligence agencies and has chosen not to appeal the conviction.
Timeline of Events
The Astellas Pharma employee's journey began in March 2023 when he was detained by Chinese authorities just before returning to Japan after finishing his work assignment in China. In August 2024, he was formally indicted on espionage charges. On July 16, 2025, a Chinese regional court formally convicted him of espionage, stating he was paid to deliver sensitive information on China’s politics and economy to intelligence agencies. Pretrial detention was counted toward his sentence. Late in July 2025, he did not appeal the court’s ruling, making the sentence final.
Current Status
The employee is currently incarcerated in China under the three-and-a-half-year sentence. The Japanese Embassy in Beijing has expressed regret about the ruling and continues to advocate for the early release of detained Japanese nationals, as this case is part of a broader context of espionage allegations against Japanese citizens in China.
Additional Context
The sentence is viewed as relatively light compared to other espionage convictions, possibly reflecting Chinese President Xi Jinping’s current policy to improve Sino-Japanese relations amid sensitive diplomatic tensions. This case exemplifies ongoing diplomatic friction involving the detention of Japanese nationals on espionage grounds in China, with 17 Japanese nationals detained under China’s anti-espionage law since 2014.
Thus, the Astellas employee’s espionage conviction and sentencing are concluded with imprisonment in China, with no appeal filed, and the case remains a sensitive point in China-Japan relations as of July 2025.
[1] Japanese Astellas Pharma Employee Sentenced for Espionage in China. (2025, July 17). Retrieved from https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/17/national/japan-china-spy-sentence/
[2] Detention of Japanese Nationals in China: A Contentious Issue. (2025, July 17). Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/world/asia/japan-china-detainees.html
[3] Japanese Embassy Calls for Early Release of Detained Japanese Nationals. (2025, July 17). Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-58824384
[4] Astellas Pharma Employee Indicted on Espionage Charges. (2024, August 1). Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/astellas-pharma-employee-indicted-espionage-charges-2024-08-01/
[5] Japanese Astellas Pharma Employee Found Guilty of Espionage. (2025, July 16). Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/16/asia/japan-china-astellas-pharma-employee-sentence-intl-hnk/index.html
- The firm general-news outlets reported on the conviction and sentencing of a Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma, who was found guilty of espionage in China, in July 2025.
- The conviction and sentencing of the Astellas Pharma employee on espionage charges is causing friction in China-Japan relations, as China-Japan relations continue to be sensitive due to ongoing allegations of espionage against Japanese citizens in China.
- As the Astellas Pharma employee's sentencing marked the end of the espionage case, the photo of him in court amidst the controversial trial sparked discussions in the realm of crime-and-justice, shedding light on the complexities of international politics.
