Japan says that China has detained 2 of its citizens suspected of smuggling banned items
Japan says that China has detained 2 of its citizens suspected of smuggling banned items
(undefined/Kyodo News via AP)
TOKYO (AP) — China has detained two Japanese citizens suspected of smuggling items prohibited from import or export, a Japanese official said Wednesday, in a case reportedly linked to rare earths, critical materials that are largely controlled by Beijing.
Japans’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters in Tokyo that Japanese consular offices in Shenyang and Dalian were notified by the Chinese customs authorities that the two Japanese nationals were detained, one on May 18 and another one a week later, “in the same alleged case.”
Kihara said the two were in good health, but refused to give further details about them or the case, on grounds of their privacy and the ongoing investigation.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun confirmed the detention of two Japanese citizens for violating Chinese laws, but did not give any details of the case.
“What we would like to emphasize is that the Japanese side should educate and remind Japanese citizens and enterprises in China to abide by Chinese laws and regulations,” Guo told a daily briefing.
Kyodo News agency reported that the two Japanese nationals are employees of a major Japanese machinery maker, and one of them works at its Chinese subsidiary. Their alleged attempt to take materials related to rare earths might have been considered illegal, Kyodo said.
The detention comes five months after Beijing banned exports to Japan of dual-use goods that can have military applications. China says the export control does not affect commercial goods, but trade data show exports of rare earths magnets from China have declined since.
Ties between the two major Asian economies have been strained for months.
Bilateral relations deteriorated when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggested late last year that Chinese action against Taiwan, a self-governed island state Beijing considers its own territory, could justify Japanese military action. Previous Japanese leaders had maintained strategic ambiguity on the matter of Taiwan.
In another case that caused strains, a Japanese man who had been detained since March 2023 was sentenced last year to three and a half years in prison in China on espionage charges.
___
Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.
By Chang-Ran Kim and Ann Wang TOKYO/ZHUBEI, Taiwan, June 26 (Reuters) – Japan grappled with transport disruptions on Friday while bracing for more torrential rain and risks from two approaching
The ship was reportedly struck by an “unknown projectile” near Oman but no casualties were reported.
Three new sites in Oxfordshire, Suffolk, and Yorkshire could house about 3,750 asylum seekers if permission is granted.
The BBC is looking at a how the heatwave is affecting local services across the county.
The King becomes first monarch to publish their tax payments – with the figures putting him among the UK’s top 100 taxpayers.
JAKARTA, June 26 (Reuters) – Social media companies TikTok and YouTube have deactivated a total of around 4.7 million accounts belonging to children under the age of 16 in Indonesia, the country’s
Social media companies TikTok and YouTube have deactivated a total of around 4.7 million accounts belonging to children under the age of 16 in Indonesia, the country’s communications minister said, as its social media curbs began to take effect. • TikTok, developed by Chinese technology company ByteDance, has deactivated 4.1 million accounts, while Alphabet’s Google’s video platform YouTube has deactivated 600,000 accounts, Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid said late on Thursday, adding that the ministry wanted others to follow.
SEOUL, June 26 (Reuters) – South Korea’s former First Lady Kim Keon Hee was sentenced on Friday to seven years in jail for bribery, a Seoul court ruled.
Amparo del Giudice dug with her bare hands at a huge mound of concrete in search of her son, trapped under rubble after Venezuela’s strongest earthquake since 1900.”It is a lot of rock, and with bare hands it is impossible,” she said, sitting not far from where she thought her son was trapped.
Human-caused climate change is “unequivocally” responsible for the intensity of a record-breaking heatwave scorching Europe, scientists said Friday.”Climate change is unequivocally to blame.”
Glastonbury is on a fallow year but how will events adapt to climate change and hotter weather?
“Very strong” verification is needed in Iran following the Middle East conflict to ensure that it does not develop nuclear weapons, the UN atomic watchdog chief said on Friday.”I think the objective of this (recent US-Iran preliminary) agreement is to ensure that there is no development of nuclear weapons in Iran.
Train services are being disrupted, events affected and people are being reminded to stay safe.
Earlier in the week Donald Trump blamed vandals for “a 300 foot long gash” in the pool and accused someone of putting fertiliser in the water.
Questions are being raised over the handling of cash, valuable jewellery, gold and silver offered by devotees.
A man was taken to hospital with a serious injury and will be in custody once treated, say police.
The changes would see fewer criminals jailed and hundreds of prisoners get out of jail earlier in an attempt to tackle the prisons overcrowding crisis.
By Kyu-seok Shim and Heejin Kim SEOUL, June 26 (Reuters) – South Korea will rapidly expand its drone and counter-drone capabilities to counter North Korea, including by training 500,000 “drone
The bikes used by Cleveland Police officers are part funded by two housing associations.
A review of the front page stories from the daily newspapers in Scotland.
Powered by WPeMatico