Russia has urged Japan to abandon “hostile steps” against Moscow following the detention of a Japanese journalist on suspicion of espionage in the Sakhalin region.
“It is regrettable that Tokyo attempts to use its correspondents, who are present in Russia with foreign journalist status, to gather information aimed at undermining our state's security,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, adding that it was not the first case.
The ministry said the incident would further strain ties, citing Japan’s anti-Russian stance since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war and Tokyo’s refusal to heed Russian concerns about Japan’s remilitarisation.
“We once again call upon official Tokyo to come to its senses and change its approach by abandoning hostile steps towards Russia,” said Zakharova.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said it arrested a journalist for the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk bureau of the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper on suspicion of espionage.
The agency alleged that the correspondent collected and stored information on Russia’s defence capabilities for Japanese intelligence, claiming the information could be used against Russia’s security.
The FSB said it opened a criminal case against the journalist, and Moscow’s Lefortovo District Court ordered his arrest as the investigation continued.
