Russian authorities have charged a Japanese journalist for espionage, accusing him of gathering information related to Moscow's defence capabilities for Tokyo. The journalist, identified as Yuki Imai from the Hokkaido Shimbun, was detained in Russia's far eastern region of Sakhalin, a day before he was due to leave the country. 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, state news agency 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. Russia and Japan have been locked in a dispute over the Kurils for decades, and it is the main reason Moscow and Tokyo did not sign a peace treaty after World War Two.
Takaichi slammed Putin's visit in August – his first-ever to the islands – saying it "wounded the feelings of the Japanese people" and is "incompatible with Japan's consistent position on the Northern Territories". Moscow dismissed her criticism as "politically inappropriate" and "legally unfounded". Over the years, attempts to resolve the territorial dispute have made little progress.
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