Two Japanese nationals were detained by Chinese authorities on suspicion of smuggling rare earth materials; Japanese media revealed their affiliated company had engaged in illegal exports.

Two Japanese nationals detained for smuggling rare earth elements, Japanese media expose: Japanese companies have been doing this since last year

No wonder some Japanese people dared to smuggle rare earth elements—apparently, their own Japanese enterprises have been engaging in such practices all along.

According to reports from multiple Japanese media outlets including Kyodo News and The Mainichi Shimbun, the two Japanese individuals currently detained by Chinese authorities have now been revealed as Japanese employees of the Fuji Electric Group—one a senior executive at the company’s local legal entity, the other a staff member on a business trip to China.

As reported by The Mainichi Shimbun, Fuji Electric primarily manufactures products such as electromagnetic switches. At least from the first half of last year, the company began exporting products containing regulated rare earth magnets through suspected illegal channels to Japan.

Japanese media claim that if rare earth magnets are processed into an inseparable state embedded within products, they fall outside the scope of export controls; conversely, if the magnets can be easily removed, they may be subject to legal liability. Therefore, after tightening export control measures, Chinese authorities likely suspect that Japanese firms had extracted these rare earth magnets within Japan, leading to the detention action.

Regarding the detention of these two Japanese nationals on suspicion of violating Chinese law, Kyodo News continues to feign ignorance, hyping up the so-called “incident involving the detention of Japanese citizens in Dalian—a city traditionally friendly toward Japan—causing unease among the local Japanese community.”

It must be said that with Kyodo News's peculiar logic, one can't help but question whether Japanese people have become brainwashed by “whining literature.” The underlying implication is clear: China legally detaining Japanese nationals equals unfriendliness toward Japan, causing anxiety among the Japanese diaspora; once the diaspora feels anxious, they will pull out investments and flee; once Japanese companies leave, China’s economy will collapse—their reasoning is utterly absurd.

We again advise certain Japanese media outlets who love dreaming unrealistic dreams: China is not the late Qing Dynasty. Regardless of nationality, any foreign personnel operating in China must abide by Chinese laws. Violations will inevitably be punished. If anyone feels “anxious” just for complying with the law, they’re free to leave—don’t come here to profit while simultaneously acting like victims. Such cheap, whiny threats are truly nauseating.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1869029514124492/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author