China arrests 4th Japanese over spying

“Japan does not engage in spying activities in any country,”

I find this statement hard to believe. And this is not a jab specifically targeted at Japan. Countries spy on friends and foes alike.

“Japan does not engage in spying activities in any country,” Suga told reporters

According to Japan: 2000, a report commissioned by the CIA, "Japan's elaborate system for political and economic intelligence is conducted through the various trading companies down to the office leve1."

The arrests of the Japanese came after China in 2014 detained a Canadian missionary couple for alleged espionage.

Some background on the Canadian missionary couple, their arrest was payback as Canada has caught China attacking National Research computers.

“Japan does not engage in spying activities in any country,”

What is Japan talking about, just last year they were talking about creating Japanese spies. Suga is even worse at lying. As predicted JP "spies" studied a few movies and instantly thought them to be effective.

“Japan does not engage in spying activities in any country,” Suga told reporters.

Certainly as true as when the same govt says "abenomics" works or Fukushima is "under control".

I wonder how the claim that "Japan does not engage in spying activities in any country" can be squared with the fact that in the last few months the Abe administration made great fanfare of their initiative to create a Japanese intelligence agency with operations in other countries?

They probably are spies, but so what? Who doesn't spy on everyone else?

Yeah. Most China people don't even care of what they are trying to do. Please do something about it to improve, Japan, before things keep happening again & again till get worst.

@Wc626

" with many posters saying that japan would be like the "Mr. Bean" in the spy business and how they would stick-out like a sore thumb wherever they went."

I kno this comment is gonna be deleted pretty soon, but I'm gonna post it so the moderators can read it before they go ahead and send me that notification email.

Why is it that its okay for JTers to openly make comments about how Japanese people are comically inferior/incapable peoples, but when Japanese people make comments about how other people are inferior in some way to them its a hate crime worthy of denouncement by the rest of the world?

@F4HA604 "...but when Japanese people make comments about how other people are inferior in some way to them its a hate crime worthy of denouncement by the rest of the world?" I hope it's not deleted because it could be useful to parse your question. Although, I think you have to be more specific here. What crime do you mean? For what comment? It really depends on what you're talking about. Japan is a bit insular and perhaps there is some truth to the lampooning of Japan's spy efforts. But what are you comparing that to? There is nothing innate that makes any group significantly inherently different from any other. Societies are different though and can produce better or worse ideas, beliefs, practices. It really depends on what you're talking about specifically.

Burning Bush: Curious that the Japanese government is not denying that the people in question are spies. Very little information about them. If they are just harmless private citizens the Japanese government should openly and vigorously defend them instead of just making broad statements like "we don't conduct espionage activities abroad".

They may not want to spoil the "spies"' chances.

It's different from ISIS hostages. There wasn't much chance of getting them back, ISIS leaders WANT exposure as opposed to Chinese leaders who likely are only going to blame Japan more if Japan starts whining.

Haven't China in the past picked up people for spying for what basically amounts to searching for economic data on Google / Baidu? Or economic hostages, like the executives from the Australian metals group Tintin?

Such activities is well known and expected even between allies,USA is a good example,spying on European partners.Nothing new about it.Japan is not an exception.China has been involved in so many spy activities in states before,Russia as well,though we havent heard relations between states and China or Russia had been damaged or affected by such activities.

Curious that the Japanese government is not denying that the people in question are spies. Very little information about them. If they are just harmless private citizens the Japanese government should openly and vigorously defend them instead of just making broad statements like "we don't conduct espionage activities abroad".

You answered your own question. How would the government defend them if they don't know anything about them?

China is doing this more as an act of regional power more than anything; a few spies in China means very little for their government. However, I also believe they will try to use this to change the shifting: "SEA vs. China" to a less unified "coalition" against their rise to power. Through this, they can bring into question Japan's spy program, and make other SEA nations wary of Japanese spies and covert actions.

Overall, this is just one of the many tiffs between China and Japan; no doubt Japan will uncover some Chinese spies in order to deflect Chinese accusations. It is sad though, being detained as a spy must be scary, guilty or not.

“Japan does not engage in spying activities in any country,”

mostly NGOs, journalists etc....Ah Yoshihidesan! even in diplomatic mouth, no space for such explanations !

I guess, most users of this website are from west. Does it answer your question?

Therefore, the things we say are inherently racist? Now, what kind of racist statement is THAT??

F4HA604 et. Al., I really do not know what other posters mean when the say such things, but frankly, I look at the ineptitude of the Abe administration and cannot help but think that they would somehow find a way to mess up Japan's attempt at establishing some sort of intelligence agency.

No doubt Japanese citizens could be good "spies," but its not some sort of 007 world.

China has spies everywhere! Even if they are not spying they are stealing corporate secrets from every country and then point fingers else where!!

If anyone is planning to go on a trip to China, think twice.

I agree with BB, the fact that these people who have been detained are HUGE & all over the news in Japan says a lot.

If these were just average folks the coverage wud be endless & tons of interviews of people (seen from the neck down) who vouch for them etc..............

The fact there is none of this that I am aware of.....................kind of says something

“Japan does not engage in spying activities in any country,” Suga told reporters. - See more at: http://www.japantoday.com/category/crime/view/china-arrests-4th-japanese-over-spying#sthash.YUEZAzVJ.dpuf

"...except for those extensive files we had the National Police Agency compiling on innocent Muslim immigrants whose only 'crime' was to be Muslim. But, you know, other than that."

@katsu78FEB. 02, 2016 - 01:29PM JST

I wonder how the claim that "Japan does not engage in spying activities in any country" can be squared with the fact that in the last few months the Abe administration made great fanfare of their initiative to create a Japanese intelligence agency with operations in other countries?

Just a note. An intelligence agency with operations in other countries does not equate to a "spy" in the common sense. A whole lot of intelligence can be gathered, if the will is there, just by actively purveying and collating open sources or talking to locals or going to their dinner parties, none of which even have to leak classified data. All this is legal and above board and thus is not espionage, yet can reveal a lot more where before you hadn't made the effort.

Does any countries will comment on their overseas intelligence gathering ? Suga's remarks has indicated the guilt of these 'Spies'.

Burning:

Curious that the Japanese government is not denying that the people in question are spies.

and yet you immediately contradict yourself with:

"we don't conduct espionage activities abroad"

Whether we believe the Japanese government or not is another matter, but clearly if Japan does not conduct espionage then by definition those individuals are not spies, according to J gov.

Japanese spies? lol, I'd love to see the bumbling baffoons try (on an international level). It'd be like Mr. Bean.

Was there anything to steal on China? What does Japan don't have and China have?

I find it funny that people on this site love to bash anything about Japan, including Abe's efforts to counter the growing power of China. yet whenever China has something up, they jump all on China.

Hope China smarts up and sort the mess between Japan and its neighbours on its way becoming a super power. I'd love to see a unified east Asia similar to EU.

Just arrest Chinese spies doing espionage activities in every single country, then they will shut up.

F4HA604

I guess, most users of this website are from west. Does it answer your question?

What is Japan talking about, just last year they were talking about creating Japanese spies.

LoL. Yeah, I remember that thread too. It was a riot . . . with many posters saying that japan would be like the "Mr. Bean" in the spy business and how they would stick-out like a sore thumb wherever they went. Classic.

It seems that police thought he/she must be a spy anythere and will be arrested soon by suspicion of spy. I don't wanna go to China any more.