MOSCOW — Russia has arrested a Japanese journalist on the far eastern island of Sakhalin and charged him with espionage in the latest sign of rising tensions between Moscow and Tokyo.
Russian authorities have charged a Japanese journalist for espionage, accusing him of
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova identified the reporter as Yuki Imai, from the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper, adding that he had been accused of “conducting espionage activities” by gathering information related to Moscow’s defense capabilities on Russian territory.
Imai, a reporter at the newspaper’s bureau in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on Sakhalin, was reportedly preparing to return to Japan when he was arrested, according to Russia’s Tass news agency.
Russia’s FSB security agency claimed the journalist had intended to pass the information on to Japanese intelligence.
The arrest comes as tensions worsen between the two nations after Russian leader Vladimir Putin visited the disputed Kuril Islands, claimed by both countries, in August.
Japan has not commented at length on the arrest. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said authorities are “verifying the facts” and will “respond appropriately” thereafter.
Russian authorities allege that Imai had “acted on the instructions of [Japan’s] national intelligence service” to gather information about people involved in a special military operation on the Kuril Islands, TASS reported.
The Kuril islands sit between Hokkaido in northern Japan and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. The archipelago is administered by Russia, but four of the southernmost islands are claimed by Japan, which calls them the Northern Territories.
Imai has been taken to Moscow and will be remanded until 12 December, before the trial begins, according to Interfax, another Russian news agency.
Those convicted of espionage in Russia can be jailed up to 20 years in prison.
“Tokyo’s attempts to use its correspondents in Russia, who hold foreign journalist status, to gather information aimed at undermining our country’s security are regrettable,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We cannot help but point out that today’s incident is not an isolated one,” she noted, but did not name other journalists or media outlets that are allegedly involved in similar activity.
Imai’s published work has covered Russia’s relations with North Korea and life in Sakhalin.
Hokkaido Shimbun ran a report on the arrest without naming the reporter, but did not comment further on the incident.
Source: Saudi Gazette