China arranges for Japanese officials to visit detained Japanese citizen

China has arranged for Japanese embassy officials to visit a Japanese citizen detained on suspicion of espionage, China’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday, after the arrest dealt an outsized blow to the two countries’ close economic ties.
Japan said late in October China had formally arrested a Japanese businessman detained in March on suspicion of spying.
In a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier in November, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sought the swift release of the man.
Japanese Ambassador to China Hideo Tarumi on Tuesday met for the first time the senior Astellas Pharma employee arrested last month on suspicion of espionage, Kyodo News reported, citing a Japanese government official.
“The Chinese side has arranged officials of the Japanese embassy in China to conduct a consular visit for relevant parties,” said Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson at the Chinese foreign ministry.