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Tokyo police looking to question PRC diplomats

Japanese police are seeking to question two Chinese diplomats for allegedly helping a man with a visa scam in exchange for joining a campaign against Taipei, reports said yesterday.

Tokyo police want the diplomats to report for questioning but they have diplomatic immunity and could refuse, the Yomiuri Shimbun and Jiji Press news agency said.

The Yomiuri daily identified the pair as a 51-year-old counsellor and a senior commerce official at the Chinese embassy in Tokyo, citing anonymous sources.

They are suspected to be linked to Zhang Jian (張健), a Chinese man who has joined a series of meetings in Tokyo on unifying China with Taiwan.

Police arrested Zhang on March 28 for allegedly helping another Chinese man renew his residential status in Japan illegally, the newspaper said.

Police suspect the Chinese counsellor may have let Zhang use links to the embassy in exchange for promoting unification efforts, it said.

Shady funds Zhang racked up in Japan over seven years may reach some ¥200 million (US$1.7 million), the Yomiuri said.

Zhang is also suspected of charging some 20 compatriots to help them get visas by falsely telling immigration authorities they worked for his company, it said.
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