Japan on Thursday denied conducting spying activities in Russia, following Moscow’s arrest of a Japanese journalist on suspicion of espionage. On Tuesday, the Russian foreign ministry identified the Japanese reporter as Yuki Imai from the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper, with a spokeswoman saying he is accused of “conducting espionage activities on Russian territory.” In response, Tokyo summoned the Russian ambassador to lodge a protest over the arrest, with Japan’s Foreign Ministry urging “fair and impartial treatment.” On Thursday, Takaichi said details of the accusations remained unclear. Meanwhile, The Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based international nonprofit organization, on Wednesday called for the immediate release of the Japanese reporter.
The detention is “deeply chilling to see,” Fiona O’Brien, the committee’s director for Europe and Central Asia, said in a statement. Hokkaido Shimbun said in a statement that it is aware of the Russian announcement but is “still confirming the details.” “Ensuring the safety of the journalist is our top priority, and we are responding accordingly,” the newspaper said. Moscow and Tokyo have been locked in a territorial dispute for decades over the status of a string of islands in the Pacific Ocean off the northeastern coast of Japan and to the southwest of Russia’s Sakhalin region.
The Kuril Islands — called the Northern Territories in Japan — have been under Russia’s control since the end of World War II, when they were seized by the Soviet Union.
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