The Chinese government said it is “unaware” of reports that a Chinese professor at a university in Tokyo has gone missing after returning to China. 

The missing Chinese is Fan Yuntao, a professor of urban creation at Asia University in the western Tokyo suburbs.  

According to the university, Professor Fan returned to China temporarily in February 2023 and was scheduled to return to Japan by April of the same year. 

However, his family member, who remains in Japan, arranged for a leave of absence for Fan, citing illness as the reason. 

The exact circumstances of his disappearance are unknown, but there are concerns that he may have been detained by the Chinese authorities. 

Asked about this, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said at a press conference on April 22 that he was “unaware of the situation.” 

In a similar case, Professor Hu Shiyun of Kobe Gakuin University also went missing after returning to China temporarily last year. 

In China, there are concerns that freedom of speech and research activities may be tightened amid moves such as the enforcement of the revised anti-espionage law last year. 

*photo credit:Asia university website