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Japan Reports Two Nationals Detained in China Over Rare-Earth Smuggling Allegations
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said on June 24 that one Japanese national was detained May 18 and the second on May 25. Both remain in good health, and the goods involved were rare-earth related products subject to export controls.
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Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Wednesday that two Japanese nationals have been detained in China on suspicion of smuggling goods subject to export restrictions. One of the detainees is an employee of a major electronic machinery maker. One national was detained on May 18 and the second on May 25.
Kihara, speaking at a regular news conference at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo, added that both individuals are in good health. “The government will continue to maintain contact with the individuals and relevant parties, and take appropriate steps to protect Japanese nationals,” he said. China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the two had been detained for violating the customs law of China.
Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference the same day that the Japanese side needs to guide and remind its nationals and businesses in China to abide by China’s rules and regulations. The goods the two are alleged to have smuggled were rare-earth related products.
China accounts for more than 60 percent of global rare earth mining and about 90 percent of global rare earth processing capacity.
