A Chinese court has upheld the 12-year prison sentence for a Japanese national accused of espionage, sources said Saturday.
The appeal by the man in his 50s against the sentence was rejected by Hunan High People's Court on Nov. 3, the sources said.
The man was detained in July 2019 in Changsha in the southern province of Hunan by national security staff in charge of hunting out spies. A district court sentenced him to 12 years in prison in February this year.
The Japanese government asked China to release him as soon as possible.
In China, 17 Japanese nationals have been detained under the anti-espionage law that went into effect in 2014. In July this year, the communist nation enforced the revised anti-espionage law, strengthening surveillance.
The situation has many expatriates concerned. Last month, it emerged that a Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma, detained in March on suspicion of spying, was formally arrested.