Japanese pharmaceutical worker to be freed from Chinese prison in December

A Japanese national working for pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma is expected to be released from a Chinese prison in mid-December and repatriated to Japan, multiple Japanese media outlets reported on Saturday. The employee had been sentenced to three years and six months on espionage-related charges by Chinese authorities. The release date comes ahead of the completion of the full prison term, though the circumstances surrounding the timing remain unclear. The detention of the Astellas employee marked one of several cases involving foreign business executives held in China on national security charges in recent years. The pharmaceutical sector has faced particular scrutiny in China, with authorities citing concerns over intellectual property and sensitive technology. The expected release represents a potential easing of tensions between Tokyo and Beijing over the case, which had drawn attention from Japanese government officials and industry observers.