Possibly aiming to exchange Japanese journalists with Russians, also related to Japanese hacker detention

Regarding the detention of a Hokkaido Shimbun reporter by Russian authorities, speculation has emerged that the Putin administration is aiming to exchange his own nationals detained in Western countries. Some are linking this to the case in which Japanese law enforcement authorities detained a Russian hacker in May and handed him over to Germany this month.

Hokkaido Shimbun ``Freedom of the press should be respected'' Opinion published in paper after reporter arrested

◇Value for foreigners

The person Germany requested Japan to detain is a man in his 20s who is a core member of the international hacker group Qilin. The group has repeatedly carried out cyberattacks in various countries, and is known for causing damage to businesses and hospitals in Japan.

Russian independent media pointed out on the 13th that a Japanese reporter was detained after Japan announced the extradition of the man. Russian authorities have justified filing charges of ``espionage,'' but this report raises questions about whether the detention is ``retaliation.''

In one example, the Putin regime released a detained American newspaper reporter during the invasion of Ukraine in exchange with a Western country. Regarding this incident, independent media emphasized that ``foreigners are being used as exchanges for nationals detained abroad.''

According to a U.S. government broadcasting station, Japan experts in the UK expressed hope that Japanese nationals will be released through the exchange of persons. "The first thing that comes to mind for the exchange is hackers," he said. Russian authorities and hackers are said to have cooperated in past cyberattacks on the United States.

This month, a military blogger close to the Russian Defense Ministry was briefly detained in Montenegro, which is aiming to join the European Union (EU). Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev hinted at new detentions on social media, saying that if his own citizens were detained, ``we will have to recruit idiots (from the West) to exchange custody in order to get them back.''

◇ Will sanctions be lifted soon?

In 2024, authorities in Russia's ally Belarus detained a Japanese former Japanese language teacher on suspicion of espionage. He claimed on state television that the activities of Japanese intelligence agencies had been thwarted. A documentary program showing the entire details of the detention is being broadcast, and this overlaps with the way Russia has released footage that portrays Japanese journalists as ``spies.''

The former Japanese language teacher was released after being sentenced to 25 years in prison. Belarusian President Lukashenko said, ``Based on the request of U.S. President Trump, we have decided to pardon him in connection with the lifting of sanctions'' (state-run Belta news agency).

Regarding the detention of Japanese journalists, a U.S. government broadcaster quoted an expert as saying, ``This is a method of pressuring Japan to make concessions if it wants to secure diplomatic influence (on Japan) and avoid prolonging its detention.'' He also said that the Putin administration's aim is for Japan to lift sanctions against Russia.