Why were 6 Japanese men detained for engaging in espionage activities in China?

According to Japanese news agency quoting relevant sources from the Japanese government, relevant Chinese authorities detained six Japanese men in Shandong and Hainan provinces in March this year. According to sources, the six Japanese men detained range in age from their 20s to their 70s. They are engaged in espionage activities and endanger China's national security.

Japan has always denied that any Japanese are engaged in espionage activities. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has repeatedly denied that the Japanese government will not send intelligence personnel overseas.

According to Chinese law, espionage is punishable by up to the death penalty. China promulgated the Counterespionage Law in November 2014, which for the first time clarified the legal definition of espionage and demonstrated its resolute attitude in severely punishing espionage.

The "Counterespionage Law of the People's Republic of China" (referred to as: Counterespionage Law) was passed at the 11th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress on November 1, 2014.

The Counterespionage Law comprehensively revised the current national security law from name to content, highlighted the characteristics of counterespionage work, identified six types of behaviors such as recruitment of personnel by espionage organizations as espionage behaviors, and for the first time specified specific espionage behaviors. Make legal determinations. As an important law in the field of counter-espionage work in our country, it will play a basic legal guarantee role in preventing, stopping and punishing espionage behaviors and safeguarding national security, and will further standardize and strengthen counter-intelligence work.