'Spy' contacted defence firms

JAPAN - A Chinese diplomat allegedly engaged in espionage contacted officials at several defence companies while he was in Japan, according to investigative sources. Police suspect Li Chunguang tried to fraudulently obtain information related to military technology. They plan to question people contacted by Li. The 45-year-old first secretary at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo is also believed to have seen the contents of confidential Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry documents. The Metropolitan Police Department Public Security Bureau believes Li was engaged in espionage. The MPD plans to send papers on him to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on suspicion of violating the Alien Registration Law and making false entries on notarized documents and using them. According to investigative sources, Li met with officials at several defence firms and officials of organizations engaged in researching state-of-the-art technology in Tokyo and other locations without disclosing that he was attached to an intelligence division of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA). Some company officials were invited to the Chinese Embassy, the sources said, invitations the police believe were made by Li. It is believed that Chinese spies invite their targets to the embassy or on sightseeing trips to China on the pretext of deepening their friendship to escape the notice of counterintelligence authorities. Chinese agents belonging to the PLA's General Staff mainly conduct espionage to collect military information. They target officials of the Defence Ministry, members of the Self-Defence Forces and defence company officials. It has been learned recently that these agents approached researchers in the United States and obtained military information. Police authorities suspect Li was instructed to gain military information by the second division of the PLA's General Staff, to which he had been attached. In early 2008, Li fraudulently used his alien registration card, which he obtained when he was a researcher at the University of Tokyo, to open a bank account, though diplomats are issued special identification cards. Li is also suspected of renewing the alien registration card in April 2008 by submitting false documents to a ward office in Tokyo showing him still working as a researcher at the university. Using the bank account, he allegedly profited from commercial activities. The Vienna Convention prohibits diplomats from engaging in such activities. Alien registration cards are issued to foreign residents and carry such information as their name and residency status. Under the Alien Registration Law, foreign residents must apply for the card at their relevant municipal government within 90 days of entering Japan and must present the card if asked by police. Meanwhile in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin on Wednesday confirmed the name of a diplomat suspected of spying as Li Chunguang. He also denied allegations that Li was engaged in espionage. It is the first time the Chinese ministry issued an official statement on the matter since it came to light this week. On the same day, Chinese Embassy spokesman Yang Yu denied allegations that Li worked for the PLA's intelligence division. Li is also suspected of making personal profits through commercial activities by using a fraudulently obtained alien registration card. Concerning this allegation, Yang said China has strict laws and restrictions on diplomats' activities so the matter needs to be investigated. Source: Asiaone