Major Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma says a Japanese man who has been detained by Chinese authorities is an employee of the firm.

Japanese government officials said earlier that a Japanese man in his 50s, an executive of a Japanese-affiliated company, was detained in Beijing this month on suspicion of violating Chinese law.

Astellas Pharma says it cannot disclose any further details at this stage, but it is gathering information through the Japanese foreign ministry and will take appropriate measures.