A Japanese government source said on November 27 that a Japanese man in his 50s has been detained since July in Changsha, Hunan province with access to consular services possibly for alleged spying. Later, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters in Tokyo that the government has confirmed the man's detention by Chinese authorities, with the Foreign Ministry saying he is said to have acted in "violation of domestic law" in China.

(Comment: The incident occurs before Chinese President  Xi Jinping is to visit Japan next spring as a state guest. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had invited the Chinese president to come "when the cherry blossoms bloom.")