Japanese Man Returns Home After Serving Prison Term In China
NHK has learned that a Japanese man who was sentenced to six years in prison in China on espionage charges has returned home after serving his term.
Suzuki Hideji, the head of an organization promoting friendship between Japan and China, was detained in Beijing six years ago on suspicion of endangering national security.
A court in Beijing later ruled that Suzuki was involved in spying activities, and handed down a prison sentence of six years.
Japanese government sources say Suzuki completed his prison term and returned to Japan on Tuesday.
Suzuki reportedly had visited China about 200 times.
Chinese authorities have detained at least 16 Japanese nationals on charges including suspicion of spying since 2015, a year after an anti-espionage law was enacted.
At least nine of them were found guilty. Suzuki is the fourth Japanese national to return home after completing a prison term.