China has acknowledged that it has detained an employee of the major Japanese trading house Itochu over alleged illegal activities.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told reporters on Friday that authorities are taking steps to penalize a Japanese citizen who is suspected of breaking Chinese law.
But Geng did not specify what the person is accused of, only saying that the reporters should ask the government divisions involved.
He called on Japan to ensure that its citizens in China abide by Chinese law and do not become involved in criminal activities.
Japanese Foreign Ministry and other sources say the male in his 40s was detained by counter-intelligence officials in the southern city of Guangzhou in February of last year.
They also say the man was indicted in June and his closed-door trial began the following month.
Not including this latest case, since 2015 eight Japanese citizens have been indicted in China for their involvement in espionage and other charges.
Four of them have received prison sentences in their first trial.