China hands 3-1/2-year prison sentence to Astellas' Japanese employee, Nikkei says

TOKYO (Reuters) -A Beijing court on Wednesday sentenced a Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma to 3-1/2 years in prison, the Nikkei newspaper reported, citing the Japanese ambassador to China. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday that the country's judicial authorities handle cases in accordance with the law, when asked a question about a Beijing court sentencing an employee of a Japanese pharmaceutical company to prison for espionage.