Japanese journalist detained in Russia on espionage charges

According to the official statement of the FSB Information Center, the activities of a correspondent accredited to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs were thwarted in the Sakhalin Oblast just before his planned departure from the country, the Interfax agency reported.

Russian secret services claim that the detained Japanese citizen collected and stored data on the "defense potential" of the Russian Federation.

According to investigators, this information was allegedly transmitted at the request of Japanese national intelligence for use against Russia's state security.

After being transported to Moscow, the Investigative Department of the Federal Security Service initiated a criminal case against the Japanese citizen under the article on espionage (Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code). The Lefortovo District Court decided to apply a preventive measure to the suspect in the form of pre-trial detention.

The secret services did not publicly disclose the identity of the detained journalist.