Japanese journalist arrest in Russia's Far East draws rebuke from Tokyo in latest diplomatic spat with Moscow

Japan's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday summoned Russia's ambassador after a Japanese journalist was arrested by Russia's FSB security agency on suspicion of espionage.

What do know so far?

The journalist's arrest comes amid a dispute in a dispute between Russia and Japan over the four southernmost islands of the Kuril Island chain, which are controlled by Moscow and claimed by Tokyo. The archipelago in the northwest Pacific is near the Russian island of Sakhalin where the man was arrested.

Russia's Federal Security Service announced the arrest on Tuesday and claimed the journalist, who works for the northern Japanese Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper, was gathering information about Russian defense capability on behalf of Japanese intelligence.

In a statement, Japan's Foreign Ministry lodged a "strong protest" against Russia for "detaining this Japanese national and issuing unilateral statements regarding the matter, while the Japanese government has not received any explanation concerning the detained national as yet."

On Wednesday, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Tokyo called for Russia to treat the detainee fairly and humanely, while asking Russian authorities for more information about his arrest.

Kihara added that Japanese officials have been unable to contact the man, his condition is unknown, and Moscow had not responded to Tokyo's requests for access.

"We'll do everything we can for the protection of the Japanese citizen," he said.

Russia claims Japan using journalists as spies

Russian authorities identified the journalist as Yuki Imai. The Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper has not yet confirmed the journalist's identity, saying it is still gathering details of what could have led to the arrest.

The newspaper said the man had been reporting in Russia on a journalist visa and was supposed to leave on Monday.

In footage on Russian state television, a man is seen being placed in handcuffs by three masked men in black uniforms, and then being accompanied by FSB agents onto a plane. The man is then seen in a cage in a Moscow court, which ordered him detained for two months.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed that Japan is using accredited journalists in Russia to gather sensitive security information.

Kimitake Nakamura, head of the European Affairs Bureau at Japan's Foreign Ministry, said he has asked Russian Ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev to quickly arrange a meeting between the detained journalist and the Japanese government.

Japan-Russia Kuril Islands dispute

The Soviet Union seized the Kuril Islands from Japan in the final days of World War II. The territorial dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their hostilities.

Bilateral tensions were aggravated by Japan joining Western sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine.

The dispute reignited in August after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited one of the Kurils for the first time, with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi calling the visit "absolutely unacceptable." Putin was only the second Russian leader to ever visit the islands

Russia has also increased its military presence on the islands in recent years, including by deploying missile systems, expanding air fields, and using the islands for live fire drills.

In Wednesday's Foreign Ministry statement, Nakamura reiterated Japan's territorial claims over the four southernmost Kuril Islands, which Tokyo calls the "Northern Territory."

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Edited by: Wesley Dockery