China sentences Japanese man on espionage charges

A Chinese court on Friday handed a five and half year prison sentence to a 70-year-old Japanese man on charges of espionage, as per Japan's Foreign Ministry.

The Japanese man was detained in March 2017 in China's Shandong province, according to NHK. He had reportedly gone to the region to conduct surveys for hot spring development at the invitation of a Chinese company.

Apart from the prison sentence, the man was also ordered to pay 4,300 US dollars.

The exact allegations against the man are not known. However, the Chinese state media in 2017 reported that the unidentified Japanese national had carried out surveys without the government's permission.

Nine Japanese nationals have been charged for spying by China after anti-espionage laws took effect in 2014. Out of them, six have been given prison sentences.

Five other Japanese were detained in connection with the surveys, out of which four were released while one was indicted.