ANKARA

A court in China sentenced a Japanese man to three and a half years in prison Wednesday for spying, according to the Japanese embassy in Beijing.

The No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in Beijing convicted the employee of Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma Inc. of engaging in espionage activities, Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi told reporters, according to Japan’s Kyodo News Agency.

"This is extremely regrettable," Kanasugi said.

He added that they will continue to call for the release of the man “at the earliest and support him.”

The man was detained in March 2023 just before his scheduled return to Japan.

He was formally arrested in October that year and indicted in August 2024.