Chinese authorities on Monday arrested a Japanese citizen suspected of spying, state media said.

The arrest was made in the port city of Dalian in the northeastern Liaoning province, which borders North Korea, the official Dalian Daily’s online report said.

The report said Ken Higuchi was being investigated by the Dalian City National Security Bureau on suspicion of spying against China, and that prosecutors had approved his arrest. The character given for Higuchi’s first name could also be-be the names Takeshi or Takeru.

China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Lu Kang said, “Based on my understanding, relevant Chinese departments are carrying out investigations into a Japanese citizen suspected of attempting to endanger the security of the People’s Republic of China, in accordance with the law.

“At this point, I must point out that we immediately informed the relevant Japanese consular authorities in China in accordance with consular agreements between China and Japan.”

It was unclear from the report, however, whether Higuchi was a new case or whether he had been detained earlier, and the latest development was his formal arrest.

Reuters was unable to contact Japan’s foreign ministry by telephone. Monday was a national holiday in Japan.

Reuters