Astellas' Japanese employee in Chinese prison to be released in Dec.

A Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma Inc. held in a Chinese prison for spying is expected to be released in December, sources close to Japan-China relations said Saturday.The male employee of the Japanese pharmaceutical company, who is in his 60s and was detained in March 2023, was sentenced by Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in July 2025 to three years and six months in prison.He would be serving his entire sentence, which includes part of the period between his detention and the ruling. He is likely to be deported to Japan immediately after the expected release, according to t…READ FULL ARTICLE