Russia arrests Japanese reporter for alleged espionage

Russia arrests Japanese reporter for alleged espionage

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Russian authorities have arrested a Japanese journalist on the far eastern Sakhalin Island, accusing him of espionage, according to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).

The FSB announced the arrest on Tuesday, stating that the man was believed to have gathered information on Russia's defence capabilities for Japanese intelligence.

The charges carry up to 20 years in prison, and the Japanese government is trying to verify reports of the journalist's detention, according to an official at Tokyo's embassy in Moscow cited by Japan's Kyodo news agency.

The journalist, identified as Imai Yuki, worked for Japan's Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper, according to Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Imai Yuki was arrested on Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the main city on Sakhalin Island, as he was preparing to leave Russia, said the FSB.

He was then flown to Moscow, where a court ordered him to be held behind bars pending the probe, the agency added.

The arrest comes amid a spike in tensions between Russia and Japan following Russian President Vladimir Putin's trip in August to the Kuril Islands, a Pacific archipelago claimed by both countries.

The Sakhalin region includes Sakhalin Island and the four southernmost islands of the Kuril chain, which Japan calls the Northern Territories.

Russia and Japan never signed a formal World War II peace treaty, with the main obstacle being the unresolved territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands.

This is not the first time Russia has arrested foreigners for alleged espionage since it invaded neighbouring Ukraine in 2022.

One of the most prominent cases was the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in 2023, who was found guilty of espionage by a Russian court and sentenced to 16 years.