BEIJING — A Chinese professor who specializes in Japanese affairs appears to have been detained by the Chinese government since late July and is being questioned about his activities in Japan, according to Chinese academics and Japanese media reports.
The apparent arrest of the professor, Zhu Jianrong, possibly on espionage charges, after he returned to Shanghai from Japan comes as relations between China and Japan have hit their lowest point in decades, and it has sent tremors of fear through the small community of Japan experts in China and other academics.
A group of Chinese scholars in Japan, the Society of Chinese Professors, said Monday that they were almost certain Zhu was being held and was “currently responding to questioning.” The society, which Zhu helped found, described the professor as “very active” in his role as “a bridge between China and Japan.”
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The Chinese government declined to confirm the arrest but strongly hinted that he had been taken into custody.