Chinese diplomat suspected of spying

TOKYO, May 30 (UPI) -- Japan's Public Security Bureau is building an espionage case against a Chinese diplomat who was stationed in Japan, sources tell The Yomiuri Shimbun.

The unnamed sources told The Yomiuri Shimbun it appears the first secretary at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo had ties to an intelligence division of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

The 45-year-old first secretary left Japan after the Chinese Embassy refused a request by the Japanese Foreign Ministry to allow the diplomat to be questioned about his activities.

The sources said the man used a fraudulently obtained alien registration certificate to open a bank account for advisory fees he collected from Japanese companies.

Japan's Public Security Bureau suspects the money was used for intelligence activities and is currently building a case against him under the Alien Registration Law.

It would be the first case of a Chinese diplomat being charged with violating Japanese law.