Another Japanese detained in China in June

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi will meet with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his two-day visit to Japan starting Tuesday, both governments said separately Monday.

Japan’s Foreign Ministry refused to confirm or deny the weekend reports about the arrests, which the media claims were made in June.

Two more Japanese citizens are being held by the Chinese government on suspicion of espionage, bringing the total to four, the Mainichi newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

She was arrested in Shanghai by national security officials, the source said. Chinese authorities are believed to be investigating her background. “The relevant situation has been passed on to the Japanese side”, she told a daily news briefing.

In the latest episode of diplomatic hiccups, negotiations on a crisis management mechanism that aims to prevent unintentional conflicts in the East China Sea have been halted due to diverging views on whether the system should be applied to the disputed Diaoyu islands, known as the Senkaku islands in Japan. The detentions came at a time of escalating tensions between Tokyo and Beijing.

But our correspondent says the leadership in Beijing has toughened its stance on national security – with a new commission and stronger laws.

Sino-Japanese relations, coloured by Japan’s occupation of parts of China before and during World War Two as well as rivalry for regional influence, have thawed since Abe met Xi twice since last November. Japanese media reports said the men had been held since May, one in northern Liaoning province, the other in coastal Zhejiang province.