Academics in Japan shun events in China amid fears over professor’s disappearance in Shanghai

Concerns have mounted since Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi confirmed on Monday that Tokyo was “aware” that professor Fan Yuntao had been missing after making what was meant to be a brief return to Shanghai in late February 2023.

Fan had told family and friends that he intended to return to Japan in April last year but managed to get word to relatives shortly before his disappearance that he had to accompany Chinese government officials for questioning, Kyodo News reported.

In a statement issued to This Week in Asia, Fan’s university said the professor was “currently on leave of absence” but declined to elaborate “in order to protect personal data”. The university “sincerely hopes that the individual will return to work,” it added.

A professor at the university declined to comment on the disappearance of his colleague.

Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo, Hayashi said: “This could be a matter related to the human rights of the professor, who has been engaging in education at a Japanese university for years.”

Japan was “closely monitoring” the situation but had declined to comment further as the matter was “sensitive”, Hayashi said.

The government’s position was met with scorn on social media. A comment on a story about Fan’s disappearance on the website of The Mainichi newspaper said: “The government should stop its irresponsible attitude of ‘closely monitoring’ and doing nothing but pander to China. As a politician, you should have some pride.”

Another online user said: “‘Closely monitor’ – what empty words. We need effective ways of dealing with this situation.”

In 2019, Yuan Keqin was detained during a visit to China for his mother’s funeral on suspicion of espionage. Yuan, a professor of Asian politics for 25