Japanese intelligence officer seduced by handsome Chinese spy
Staff Reporter 2013-04-26 09:12
The Chinese embassy in Tokyo, where the alleged spy was said to have been seen regularly. (Photo/CNA)
A retired female officer from Japan's Defense Intelligence Headquarters may have been seduced by a handsome Chinese spy into divulging state secrets, according to reports published in weekly Japanese tabloids Shukan Shincho and Shukan Bunshun.
A 62-year-old woman who worked as an English translator for the headquarters was said to have begun secretly dating a Chinese man 30 years her junior around six years ago. A backpack containing classified documents discovered inside the headquarters building in February was found to have belonged to the woman, who retired the following month. The Chinese man in question has also reportedly been seen frequenting the country's embassy in Tokyo, leading to suggestions he may work for Beijing.
During investigations, the officer said she was intending to take the documents home to destroy them. Investigators found many communications from the woman to the Chinese man on her computer, such as "I want to become beautiful for you" and "I want to look after my skin," but also "I want to give you the best China and US-related analysis possible."
According to the tabloid reports, the relationship began in 2007 when the married officer was 58 years old and the man was studying for his master's degree in Tokyo while working at a supermarket. The two met when the man volunteered to share an umbrella with the officer as she was leaving the supermarket, and the act of kindness soon blossomed into an affair, with the woman sending gifts to the man's home in central China's Hubei province.
The couple remained in touch via email after the man graduated and started working for a Japanese company. Investigators suspect that the officer may have secretly given the man confidential information that could potentially endanger national security, especially given the curious entry and exit times recorded on the building's electronic log.
The reports said that the officer's supervisor only gave her a formal warning but did not order a thorough investigation of the Chinese man or report the security breach up the chain of command.
