Chinese academic's disappearance sparks concerns among compatriots in Japan: 'people are worried'
The disappearance of a Chinese academic based in Japan after a brief visit to his homeland has sparked fears among his peers at Japanese universities, with the incident marking the third such reported case of its kind in more than a decade.
Hu Shiyun, 63, a professor of Chinese literature and linguistics at Kobe Gakuin University, told his employer last August that he would be making a short trip to China and return to Kobe before the start of the autumn semester classes.
The university on Monday confirmed it had heard nothing from Hu since he left, and that his family in Japan first expressed their concern in September. Kobe Gakuin has contacted the Chinese consul-general in Osaka but received no reply, the Yomiuri newspaper reported.
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The cause of Hu's disappearance remains unknown, amid speculation the Jiangsu native has been detained on unknown charges, it added.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said he had no information on the case when asked about it at a press conference this week.
Maya Hamada, a professor of Chinese literature at Kobe University, told This Week in Asia: "People are very worried about Hu and what might happen to any of us when we go to China."
More of her Chinese academic colleagues are making the conscious decision not to go back to China and are instead seeking greater job security in Japan or another country, according to Hamada.
Hamada was in Beijing in September for work and said she planned to return "several times" again this year - but she admitted to also being concerned, given that China had also arrested a number of Japanese nationals on charges of espionage.
She added it was becoming increasingly difficult to travel to China to pursue academic studies, citing what she said were demanding visa application processes. She objected, for example, to being asked about her annual income and to provide a full transcript of her academic history stretching back to secondary school.
Hu is at least the third Chinese academic based in Japan to go missing after a brief visit to his homeland. Zhu Jianrong, a professor at Toyo Gakuen University in Tokyo, vanished in 2013 in Shanghai and was apparently suspected of espionage. He was released six months later and returned to Japan.
Six years later, Yuan Keqin was detained on espionage allegations during a visit to China for his mother's funeral. Yuan, a professor of Asian politics for 25 years at Hokkaido University of Education, was subsequently formally indicted.
Chinese government officials later claimed Yuan had "confessed to the facts of the crime" and that the evidence against him was "conclusive". Since May 2021, there has been no news about court hearings or a conviction.
A group of Yuan's colleagues have published repeated requests for information on his well-being, adding in a statement: "We sincerely hope that the false accusations against Dr Yuan will be dropped and [he will be] released immediately, as well as the recovery of safe and sound exchanges between Japan and China."
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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