拘束のアステラス社員、初公判　先月下旬に北京で―中国

　【北京時事】中国でスパイ罪で起訴されたアステラス製薬の５０代の日本人男性社員の初公判が、１１月下旬に北京市第２中級人民法院（地裁）で開かれたことが９日、分かった。日中関係筋が明らかにした。
　中国では一般的に、国家の安全に関わる事案の裁判は非公開で実施される。男性の審理の内容も、詳細は明らかになっていない。
　男性は２０２３年３月、任期を終え日本に帰国する直前に拘束された。今年８月にスパイ罪で起訴されたが、具体的な嫌疑の内容は不明だ。（2024/12/09-19:21）

A court in Beijing late last month held the first hearing of a trial of a Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma Inc., who has been charged with espionage in China, people familiar with relations between the two countries said Monday.
   Details of the hearing have not been disclosed. In China, trials for cases involving national security are generally held behind closed doors.
   The employee of the Japanese drugmaker in his 50s was detained in March 2023 just before returning home following the completion of his term in China. He was charged in August this year.
   Since Chinese President Xi Jinping enacted an anti-espionage law in 2014, at least 17 Japanese nationals have been detained for alleged espionage activities. Of them, five, including the Astellas worker, are still in custody. The law has raised concern about its arbitrary enforcement.