Moscow, Oct 15: Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has arrested a Japanese journalist on suspicion of espionage in the Sakhalin region, amid heightened tensions between Moscow and Tokyo.
The FSB said the journalist, who worked for the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper, was suspected of collecting information about Russia’s defence capabilities on behalf of a Japanese intelligence agency. The agency did not disclose his name and said he was arrested as he was preparing to leave Russia.
According to the FSB, the man was taken to Moscow and remanded in custody for two months by the Lefortovo District Court while the investigation continues. Russian authorities released a video showing masked agents detaining him in a hotel room and escorting him to an aircraft.
The arrest comes against the backdrop of a long-running territorial dispute over the southern Kuril Islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the islands in August drew strong objections from Japan, further straining relations between the two countries. The espionage allegations have not been independently established.