TOKYO, March 31 (UPI) -- A Japanese diplomat posted in Shanghai who committed suicide in 2004 was pressured to divulge secrets to Chinese intelligence officers, his suicide notes show.
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported Friday that the 46-year-old official was being coerced into revealing the backgrounds of other officials working in the consulate and the names of their local contacts.
The Japanese government has in its possession a document written in Chinese that is believed to have been used by Chinese authorities to pressure the diplomat, the newspaper reported.
The diplomat, who was in charge of communications between the consulate and the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo, left five suicide notes describing the events leading up to his suicide, starting with his being approached by a Chinese official.
Foreign Ministry officials said Friday that because the case involves intelligence, they cannot comment on the notes' authenticity or other details.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe told a news conference Friday: "The immediate cause for a Japanese consulate's suicide was cruel intimidation and threats by Chinese intelligence officers. ... The worker did not bow to these threats, but laid down his life for his country," the Mainichi Shimbun reported.
