Police officers stand guard in front of a street scattered with umbrellas outside Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Tuesday. | REUTERS

National

Japanese student released after arrest in Hong Kong

Kyodo

HONG KONG – A Japanese student was released late Tuesday in Hong Kong after local police arrested him on suspicion of participating in rioting during pro-democracy protests near a university campus, Japan’s Consulate-General in the territory said.

Hikaru Ida, a 21-year-old student at the Tokyo University of Agriculture, was not injured and had no health problems, according to the consulate.

He was arrested Sunday for allegedly taking part in a riot near the Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus in the Kowloon area, where clashes between protesters and police have been taking place, the consulate said.

Japan’s government had said he was a tourist and had been working to secure his release.

The police continued to surround the campus Wednesday, where protesters remain holed up.

GET THE BEST OF THE JAPAN TIMES IN FIVE EASY PIECES WITH TAKE 5

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

LATEST NATIONAL STORIES

The "period badge" introduced at Daimaru department store's Umeda branch will be brought back, but with a different design.

Osaka department store plans new version of taboo-busting 'period badges' after facing criticism: A department store in Osaka that suspended a campaign that encouraged female staff to wear badges indicating they were having their periods is planning to restart it using a different badge design....

Eiko Kimura, a House of Councilors member of minor opposition party Reiwa Shinsengumi, rides a bullet train in Tokyo to survey accessibility for wheelchairs on Dec. 1.

Japanese transport ministry to study shinkansen accessibility for wheelchair users: Transport minister Kazuyoshi Akaba said Friday a study group will be set up as early as this month to consider how to make bullet trains more accessible to wheelchair users. The proposed ...

Japanese government may offer companies 25% tax break on investment in startups: The government and ruling coalition plan to allow companies to deduct 25 percent of the amount they invest in startups from their taxable income, informed sources said Friday. The income ...