Japanese journalist arrested in Russia: Tokyo rejects espionage accusations

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday refuted any espionage activity in Russia, after Moscow's arrest of a Japanese journalist accused of espionage. “There is no such fact,” Ms. Takaichi told reporters in response to a question about the Russian accusations. “The protection of Japanese nationals is extremely important at this time, and we intend to focus our efforts on this goal,” she added. Russia has arrested several nationals of “unfriendly” countries in recent years, accusing them of working for Western intelligence services.

On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry identified the journalist as Yuki Imai of the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper, with a spokeswoman saying he was accused of "carrying out espionage activities on Russian territory." In response, Tokyo summoned the Russian ambassador to protest the arrest, with the Foreign Ministry calling for "fair and impartial treatment."

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An arrest amid a territorial dispute

On Thursday, Ms Takaichi said details of the charges remained unclear. “National laws differ from country to country, so we don't yet know the details of what they qualify as an allegation. Nevertheless, Japan will firmly assert its own position,” she added. The Russian Security Service (FSB) previously said a Japanese national had been arrested on the island of Sakhalin in Russia's Far East, near a group of disputed islands, but did not reveal the identity of the person.

The FSB said the person had worked for Japanese intelligence to gather information on Russia's defense. Moscow and Tokyo have been engaged in a decades-long territorial dispute over the status of a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean, off Japan's northeastern coast and southwest of Russia's Sakhalin region. Called "Southern Kurils" by Russia and "Northern Territory" by Japan, these islands are part of Russia's Sakhalin region (Russian Far East). They are called Itouroup (Etorofu in Japanese), Kounachir (Kunashiri), Shikotan and Habomai (a group of islets which traditionally count as an island).