Japan journalist Akio Yaita assaulted in Taiwan by HK passport holder

Japanese journalist and writer Akio Yaita was assaulted in Taichung in Taiwan yesterday.

A 33-year-old Hong Kong man was arrested.

Surveillance footage captured the moment when Yaita was being punched in the face, causing injuries to his lips and jaw.

The suspect, who holds a Hong Kong passport, was later intercepted and arrested while attempting to board a flight bound for Busan, South Korea.

Initial investigations show the man committed the act alone and he claimed he was not instructed by other parties to carry out the assault.

Yaita, also an Indo-Pacific strategy think tank CEO, was born in Tianjin before relocating back in Japan and worked for Sankei Shimbun as a correspondent in Beijing and Taipei.