Astellas Pharma Inc., a Japanese pharmaceutical company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TYO: 4503), is facing a challenging situation as one of its employees, detained in China since March 2023 on suspicion of espionage, has reportedly been formally indicted by Chinese authorities. The news was reported by Reuters, citing a company announcement. However, the specific charges against the employee have not been made public, and no formal statements have been released by the company or other official sources at the time of the report.
Astellas Pharma’s presence in China dates back to 1994, with its China unit established in Beijing. The company operates a manufacturing plant in Shenyang and has expanded its reach with branches in several key cities, including Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Shanghai. The company’s China operations have experienced recent leadership changes, with Hamaguchi Hiroshi stepping down as chairman in March 2023. He was succeeded by Yoshiyuki Harada, who in turn was replaced by Zhao Ping at the beginning of January 2024.- Flcube.com
