A Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma Inc. held in a Chinese prison for spying is expected to be released in December, according to sources close to Japan-China relations. The man, who is in his 60s, was detained in March 2023 shortly before his scheduled return to Japan and was sentenced in July 2025 to three years and six months in prison. Before his arrest, he had served as an executive at Astellas' Chinese unit and as a senior official of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China. A Japanese diplomat who attended the trial said details of the ruling could not be disclosed at the convicted man's request. The case comes amid heightened tensions following a diplomatic dispute over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan. Earlier this year, two Japanese employees of Fuji Electric Co. were detained in Dalian over alleged violations of a Chinese law on smuggling prohibited goods, possibly involving attempts to take rare earth-related products overseas.