Recently, the Second Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing sentenced Dong Yuyu, former Deputy Director of the Commentary Department of the “Guangming Daily,” on charges of espionage. The court labeled a Japanese diplomatic personnel whom Dong had lunch with as an “agent of a spy organization,” sparking strong concerns from Japan and the United States. Legal professionals have described the case as a politically motivated trap without basis, with the classification of the Japanese diplomat as a form of diplomatic suppression.
Dong Yuyu, the former Deputy Director of the Commentary Department of the Chinese Communist Party’s official newspaper “Guangming Daily,” was sentenced to seven years in prison on November 29 for “providing information to Japanese diplomatic personnel.” Dissatisfied with the verdict, Dong appealed on December 9.
On February 21, 2022, Dong Yuyu was arrested in Beijing while having lunch with personnel from the Japanese Embassy. The Chinese Communist Party detained a Japanese Embassy official who had lunch with Dong Yuyu, subjecting them to hours of interrogation.
On the day of the incident, the Japanese Embassy in China immediately lodged a protest with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating that the event clearly violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and was intolerable. The then Japanese Ambassador to China, Hideo Tarumi, visited the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on February 22 to file a formal protest, strongly urging China to apologize and prevent similar incidents from recurring.
The Chinese Embassy in Japan responded on its official website, claiming that Japanese Embassy personnel were engaged in activities inconsistent with their official status, leading to their questioning and investigation in accordance with Chinese law. China rejected Japan’s protests.
According to information from Dong Yuyu’s family, the court explicitly referred to the Japanese diplomatic personnel at the Beijing Embassy as “agents of a spy organization” in the verdict.
The U.S. State Department issued a statement on November 29 condemning the Chinese Communist Party for unjustly sentencing journalist Dong Yuyu to seven years in prison on charges of so-called “espionage.” The statement criticized China for failing to uphold its commitments under international law and its constitutional obligations to its citizens, including the rights to freedom of speech and the press.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department praised Dong Yuyu’s contributions as a seasoned journalist and urged China to release him unconditionally.
On December 4, a spokesperson for the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press conference that the diplomatic activities of Japanese embassies abroad were legitimate duties of diplomats. The Japanese Foreign Ministry had urged China to protect the rights of Japanese diplomats and abide by obligations as a host country of diplomatic missions.
They added that China’s implementation of the so-called “anti-spy law” had adverse effects on economic and humanistic exchanges between Japan and China, and Japan had continuously urged China to ensure transparency in law enforcement and judicial processes. Many Chinese citizens who have exchanges with personnel in the Japanese Embassy have faced unfair treatment, hindering people-to-people exchanges between Japan and China.
The Japanese Embassy in China explicitly stated on its official website that China’s “anti-spy law” lacks transparency and has a chilling effect on economic and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
Lai Jianping, a former Beijing lawyer and Chairman of the Alliance for a Democratic Canada, told media that such incidents were not surprising, citing the Chinese Communist Party’s fear of its own people and internal individuals posing threats. By harshly cracking down on individuals, such actions serve as a deterrent to others.
Public information indicates that Dong Yuyu graduated from the Beijing University Law School in 1987, holding a Master of Laws degree. He had served as a research fellow at Harvard University in the United States, a visiting scholar at Keio University in Japan, a visiting professor at Hokkaido University, as well as a commentator and Deputy Director of the Commentary Department at the “Guangming Daily.” He was not a member of the Chinese Communist Party.
In his early years, Dong Yuyu had participated in the 1989 Tiananmen student democratic movement. After a year of forced labor, he returned to work at the Guangming Daily. Over the years, he had written numerous articles criticizing social issues and received various journalism awards.
Following his arrest, Dong Yuyu’s family initially kept details of his arrest confidential, hoping that the Chinese authorities would drop or lessen the charges against him. However, they were forced to reveal the relevant details of his arrest once he was formally charged.
Subsequently, over 60 international renowned journalists and scholars, including prominent American journalist Bob Woodward and former National Security Advisor to Trump, Matthew Pottinger, signed a joint appeal urging China to release Dong Yuyu.
The U.S. News Club stated in a release that the Chinese authorities should allow high-level exchanges between individuals, which would contribute to a better understanding of China globally.
On November 15, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping held a meeting, where they affirmed the need to reduce disputes and concerns, expand cooperation and collaboration, and promote a strategic reciprocal relationship between the two nations.
However, the harsh sentencing of a journalist engaged in exchanges with Japan, along with accusing a Japanese diplomat as an “agent of a spy organization,” suggesting that the Japanese Embassy in China was a “spy organization,” has been seen as contradicting the desire to improve relations with Japan.
Lai Jianping pointed out that as an authoritarian regime, the Chinese Communist Party’s actions domestically and internationally differ. The Party understands that foreign forces cannot overthrow its regime with military force within China. However, domestically, to maintain power and control, stringent measures instill fear in the people, preventing them from taking any actions, effectively coercing compliance.
Both in civil society and the political realm in Japan and China, it’s widely believed that the relationship between the two nations is challenging to improve. Lai Jianping attributes this largely to the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to maintain its one-party dictatorship, influence global culture with Communist ideology, and construct a so-called community of shared future for mankind, concepts inherently incompatible with Japan.
A week after the verdict was announced, Dong Yuyu’s family sent ten queries about the case to Professor Tomoko Ako at the University of Tokyo. Professor Ako later made the document public on her social media platform, X.
The document raised ten questions, mainly focusing on two aspects: questioning the lack of evidence for Dong Yuyu’s alleged espionage and challenging the court’s categorization of the Japanese diplomat as an “agent of a spy organization.”
The family questioned why a simple lunch conversation between Dong Yuyu and the Japanese diplomat was deemed as accepting a spy mission without factual evidence to support such claims.
They raised concerns about why the Chinese Ministry of Public Security had not taken action against the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s intelligence officials, whom they had deemed as agents of a spy organization, for over 20 years. If the officials were considered agents, why was one individual, mentioned in the case as “Gang,” appointed as the new Consul General of Japan in Shanghai in September 2024?
Furthermore, the article questioned why, if the Chinese Ministry of Public Security had identified former Japanese Ambassador Tarumi Hideo as an “agent of a spy organization,” the Chinese government had allowed him to serve as the Japanese Ambassador to China and present credentials to Xi Jinping. Why was Tarumi Hideo not expelled from the country following the incident involving Dong Yuyu?
The article pointed out that the Chinese Ministry of Public Security interpreted the term “intelligence” on the Japanese diplomat’s business card as being synonymous with information in Chinese, resulting in him being seen as an “agent of a spy organization.” However, in Japanese, “intelligence” also means “information” or “news.” The query was raised on which country’s spy agent would blatantly list their espionage identity on a business card?
Lai Jianping stated that the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations stipulates that diplomats should not engage in spying activities, as such activities fall outside the purview of diplomatic functions. However, he believed that in practice, many diplomats from various countries worldwide also perform intelligence-related functions. Nevertheless, he emphasized the critical distinction between the legal and political aspects in such cases.
According to Lai Jianping, while it is possible to legally designate a diplomat as a spy, the case involving Dong Yuyu was not strictly a judicial outcome but rather a politically-motivated trap, a form of diplomatic suppression, and even a deliberate demonstration designed to intimidate and exert influence.
The case involving the former Japanese Ambassador to China, Hideo Tarumi, was notable as he was well-versed in Chinese culture and had a deep affinity for the Chinese people, yet he steadfastly opposed the Chinese Communist regime. In 2020, he assumed the role of Japanese Ambassador to China, retiring towards the end of 2023. During his tenure, he actively engaged with a wide range of Chinese contacts, from high-ranking officials to ordinary citizens.
Hideo Tarumi fervently supported the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s principle of “what happens to Taiwan is Japan’s concern,” actively safeguarding the stability and peace of Taiwan, sharing similar values with Japan, and promoting cooperation and exchanges between Japan and Taiwan.
Following his retirement, Hideo Tarumi was appointed as a professor at Ritsumeikan University in Japan. Today, as a seasoned diplomat and scholar, he continues to play an active role in Japan’s political and academic arenas, delivering speeches by invitation.
On April 11 this year, he spoke on topics such as “choices in life,” “destiny,” and “strategic thinking” at an event hosted by the Japan Self-Defense Forces, delving into Japan’s foreign policy and defense. At the conclusion of his speech, he drew inspiration from the Analects of Confucius, accentuating the importance of courage in upholding righteousness.
In summary, the contentious case involving Dong Yuyu has generated widespread international interest and raised significant questions regarding espionage accusations, legal procedures, and diplomatic relations between China and Japan. The complexities surrounding the case reflect broader geopolitical tensions and challenges in diplomacy and journalistic freedom.