A policy forum that was supposed to be held in Beijing on Nov. 2 was suspended following China's detention in September of a Japanese professor, a source close to the matter said Wednesday.
After the fortysomething professor from Hokkaido University was arrested in China for alleged spying, Japanese experts decided against visiting Beijing, the source said, adding it is uncertain when the forum will take place.
Since 2015, at least 14 Japanese citizens, including the professor, have been detained in China on various charges such as espionage. All of them are civilians, making the latest case involving a national university professor, equivalent to a public servant, the first of its kind.