Yuan Keqin, Japan-Based Scholar Jailed Seven Years in China on “Espionage” Charges, Reportedly Released
Yuan Keqin was born in Changchun, Jilin Province, China, in 1955. In 1984, he traveled to Japan as a student and went on to earn a doctorate in law from Hitotsubashi University, specializing in the international political history of East Asia, particularly the formation of the postwar East Asian order and the role of the United States in Japan-China and Japan-Taiwan relations. Beginning in 1994, he taught at Hokkaido University of Education for more than two decades, obtaining permanent residency in Japan while retaining his Chinese citizenship.
In May 2019, Yuan and his wife made a brief return to China to attend his mother’s funeral. After entering China, however, Yuan immediately lost contact with both his university and his family. It was not until March 2020 that China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that he was under investigation by national security authorities on suspicion of espionage. The case was referred to the Changchun Intermediate People’s Court in Jilin Province, where Yuan was ultimately convicted and sentenced to six years in prison.
One particularly troubling detail emerged: at one point, the authorities had released Yuan’s wife on the condition that she retrieve his computer, mobile phone, and research materials from Japan and bring them back to China. Believing she was helping to establish her husband’s innocence, she complied—only for the information on those devices to later be used as evidence in building the espionage case against him.
It was not until May 2021, two years after his initial detention, that authorities permitted Yuan to meet with a lawyer. On January 31, 2024, the Changchun Intermediate People’s Court convicted him of violating the Counter-Espionage Law, sentencing him to six years in prison and stripping him of his political rights. Yuan appealed, but the verdict was upheld.
On May 2, 2026, the NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation reported, based on interviews with people close to the case, that Yuan had been released and was living in Changchun, Jilin Province. The news was disclosed by the “Yuan Keqin Teacher Support Association,” a group formed by his friends.
In a statement, the association said: “We have learned through relevant channels that he has been released and is currently residing in Changchun. While the specific details of his situation following sentencing remain unclear, we are relieved to know he is safe and wished to share this news.”
Almost nothing is known to the outside world about the conditions of Yuan’s imprisonment after sentencing or about his current physical and mental state.
The association emphasized in its statement: “Given that Professor Yuan consistently refused to admit guilt throughout the entire process, we believe his current circumstances may still involve surveillance or restrictions, and the situation remains concerning. We will continue to monitor his condition closely.”
The group also expressed a broader hope: “With Teacher Yuan’s release, we sincerely hope that exchanges between Japan and China can develop in a direction that is safer and more reassuring for all involved.”
The Yuan Keqin case is one of several incidents in recent years involving Chinese scholars based in Japan who disappeared while visiting China. Fan Yuntao, who taught at Asia University in Japan, vanished in February 2023 during a trip to China and has not been heard from since. These cases have raised serious concerns in the international academic community about the lack of transparency in the enforcement of China’s national security laws, and have left overseas scholars conducting research in China facing significantly greater personal risk.
The Yuan Keqin case spanned roughly seven years, from his detention in 2019, his conviction in 2024, and finally his release in May 2026, with an almost total absence of public information throughout. His supporters have maintained his innocence from the start, and he himself never confessed. Now free, he remains in Changchun. Whether he will be permitted to leave the country and return to Japan is, as yet, entirely unknown.
因“间谍罪”被捕7年，旅日学者袁克勤近日获释
袁克勤1955年生于中国吉林省长春市，1984年以留学生身份赴日，后在一橋大学获得法学博士学位，专攻东亚国际政治史，尤其关注战后东亚秩序的形成以及日中、日台关系中美国所扮演的角色。1994年起，他在北海道教育大学任教超过二十年，并取得日本永久居留权，但保留中国国籍。
2019年5月，袁克勤为参加母亲葬礼与妻子一同短暂回国，随即与校方及家属失联。直到2020年3月，中国外交部才证实他因"涉嫌间谍罪"遭到国家安全当局调查，案件被移送吉林省长春市中级人民法院审理，最终被判处六年有期徒刑。
值得关注的是，拘押期间当局曾一度释放袁克勤之妻，要求其将丈夫位于日本的电脑、手机及研究资料带回中国。其妻以为此举是为了证明丈夫清白而配合，但这些设备中的信息后来被用作构建"间谍罪"证据的依据。
2021年5月，当局才允许袁克勤会见律师。2024年1月31日，长春市中级人民法院以违反《反间谍法》为由，判处袁克勤六年有期徒刑并剥夺政治权利。袁克勤不服提出上诉，但法院维持原判。
2026年5月2日，据日本放送协会（NHK）通过相关人士采访获知，在中国被拘捕和判刑的袁克勤已获得释放，目前居住在吉林省长春市。这一消息由袁克勤朋友组成的"袁克勤老师救助会"对外披露。
"袁克勤老师救助会"在声明中表示："我们通过相关渠道获悉，他已被释放，目前居住在长春。虽然他被判刑后的具体情况尚不清楚，但我们欣慰地得知他平安，并希望与大家分享这一消息。"
对于判刑后的具体服刑细节以及袁克勤目前的身心状态，外界仍几乎一无所知。
"救助会"在声明中强调，"考虑到袁教授自始至终都拒绝承认间谍指控的罪名，我们推测他目前的处境可能依然受到监视或限制，情况仍不容乐观，我们将持续密切关注他的动向。"
该团体同时表达了更广泛的期望："随着袁老师获释，我们衷心希望日中交流能够朝着更加安全、安心的方向发展。"
袁克勤案是近年来多名在日任职的中国籍学者在访问中国期间失踪事件之一。此外，曾在日本亚细亚大学任教的范云涛于2023年2月访华期间失踪，此后下落不明。这一系列案件引发了国际学术界对中国国家安全法执行透明度的深切忧虑，也使在华从事研究的海外学者普遍面临更大的安全顾虑。
袁克勤案历时约七年，从2019年被拘押，到2024年获刑，再到2026年5月获释，整个过程信息极为不透明。其支持者始终坚称他无罪，而他本人也从未认罪。获释后他仍留在长春，能否自由离境、回归日本，目前尚无任何消息。