Japanese journalist arrested in Russia on espionage charges; Russia rejects Japan’s representations

The Russian Embassy in Japan announced on its official website on the 15th that the Russian Ambassador to Japan Nikolay Nozdryov held talks with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ European Director Hitoshi Nakamura in Tokyo on the 14th and rejected Japan’s representations regarding the arrest of a Japanese journalist in Russia on suspicion of espionage.

According to the news, Nozdryov pointed out to the Japanese side during the meeting that the Japanese intelligence agency solicited personnel, including Japanese journalists legally registered in Russia, to carry out "cooperation" to collect confidential information in an attempt to undermine Russia's national security and defense capabilities. This situation is unacceptable.

Nozdryov emphasized that Russian authorities have stopped such attempts many times before. He drew the Japanese side's attention to the released law enforcement surveillance footage, which recorded the scene in which the Japanese citizen was captured on the spot. Russia also made it clear that the investigation of this case will be carried out in strict accordance with Russian laws.

The Russian Federal Security Service issued a notice on the 13th that it had arrested a reporter from Japan's "Hokkaido Shimbun" in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the capital of Sakhalin state, in Sakhalin state on the grounds that the Japanese reporter was suspected of espionage activities. The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Russian Ambassador to Japan Nozdryov on the 14th. According to news released on the official website of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan requested Russia to provide relevant information as soon as possible during the summons.