A journalist for a Japanese newspaper was arrested on suspicion of espionage in Russia's Far East. Japan's Foreign Ministry summoned Russia's ambassador following the arrest by Russia's FSB security agency. The journalist's arrest is linked to a dispute between Russia and Japan over the four southernmost islands of the Kuril Island chain, which are controlled by Moscow but claimed by Tokyo. The archipelago is located near the Russian island of Sakhalin, where the arrest occurred.
Russia's Federal Security Service announced the arrest on Tuesday, stating that the journalist, who works for the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper, was allegedly gathering information about Russian defense capabilities for Japanese intelligence. Japan's Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing a "strong protest" against Russia for detaining the Japanese national and for not providing any explanation regarding the matter.
On Wednesday, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara called for fair and humane treatment of the detainee and requested more information about his arrest from Russian authorities. Kihara noted that Japanese officials have been unable to contact the journalist, whose condition remains unknown, and Moscow has not responded to Tokyo's requests for access. "We'll do everything we can for the protection of the Japanese citizen," he stated.
The journalist has been identified as Yuki Imai, although the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper has not yet confirmed his identity, as it is still gathering details regarding the circumstances of the arrest. The newspaper reported that Imai had been in Russia on a journalist visa and was scheduled to leave on Monday.
Footage on Russian state television showed a man being handcuffed by three masked men in black uniforms and subsequently escorted by FSB agents onto a plane. The man was later seen in a cage in a Moscow court, which ordered his detention for two months.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Japan of using accredited journalists in Russia to gather sensitive security information. Kimitake Nakamura, head of the European Affairs Bureau at Japan's Foreign Ministry, requested a meeting between the detained journalist and the Japanese government from Russian Ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev.
The Kuril Islands were seized by the Soviet Union from Japan in the final days of World War II, and the territorial dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty to formally end hostilities. Tensions have increased due to Japan's support for Western sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine. The dispute was reignited in August when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited one of the Kurils, prompting Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to call the visit "absolutely unacceptable." Putin's visit marked only the second time a Russian leader has visited the islands. In recent years, Russia has also increased its military presence on the islands, deploying missile systems, expanding airfields, and conducting live fire drills. Nakamura reiterated Japan's territorial claims over the four southernmost Kuril Islands, referred to as the "Northern Territory" by Tokyo.