Russia intensifies pressure, government struggles, reporters detained for a month, stalemate continues

The 13th marks one month since Hokkaido Shimbun reporter Yuki Imai was detained by Russian authorities. The Japanese government calls for his immediate release, calling it an "unjust detention," but Russia refuses. On the contrary, it placed Japanese companies' Russian operations under the control of Russian companies, increasing pressure on Japan. The government is struggling to respond as it appears to be trying to destabilize Japan in order to ease economic sanctions imposed by Japan, the United States, and Europe.

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"We strongly urge Russia to release him immediately and give him humanitarian consideration." Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara emphasized this at a press conference on the 12th. He also expressed his intention to continue imposing economic sanctions and providing aid to Ukraine, which is under attack by Russia.

According to Japanese government officials, Imai is in good health. Although deliveries have continued, a consular meeting only took place on October 26th.

Japan is lobbying Russia for early release at various levels. Following the dispatch of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Director-General for Europe, Hitoshi Nakamura, on the 30th, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met with Foreign Minister Lavrov in the United States, where he was visiting. It was the first face-to-face meeting between the Japanese and Russian foreign ministers in about five years.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been increasing pressure on Japan since his first visit to Etorofu Island in the Northern Territories in August. This month, Japan unilaterally placed Japan Tobacco's (JT) operations in Russia under the control of a Japanese company.

The background to this is economic sanctions that Japan, together with the United States and Europe, imposed in response to the invasion of Ukraine. At a press conference on the 11th, Russia's Foreign Ministry Director of Intelligence Zakharova claimed that the JT project was ``a countermeasure to blatantly hostile acts.'' A senior official at Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged that ``the detention of Japanese journalists and JT are a series of events.''

Reporter Imai's detention has left us unable to even find a clue to resolving the issue. A Japanese government official said, ``Russia's actions are all politically motivated. Some kind of exchange conditions must be created.''