Russia says it detained Hokkaido Shimbun reporter in Sakhalin on spying suspicion
In short
Russia's Federal Security Service said October 13 that it detained a Japanese Hokkaido Shimbun reporter in Sakhalin on suspicion of espionage. Japanese reports said he was transferred to Moscow; the newspaper and Japan's embassy said they were checking the details.
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Russia's Federal Security Service, the FSB, announced October 13 that it had detained a Japanese male reporter from Hokkaido Shimbun's Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk bureau in the far eastern Sakhalin region on suspicion of espionage. Japanese outlets reported that the journalist was transferred to Moscow and arrested. Asahi Shimbun reported that a court ordered at least two months of detention. [ 2 , 9 , 10 , 13 ]
The FSB alleged that the reporter collected and stored information on Russia's defence capabilities under instructions from a Japanese intelligence agency. It said he gathered information about soldiers and volunteers mobilised from the Kuril Islands for the military operation in Ukraine, according to Japanese reports. Hokkaido Shimbun said it was checking the details. Japan's embassy in Moscow said it was urgently seeking to confirm the facts. [ 6 , 9 , 13 ]
The journalist was detained on the eve of his departure from Russia, according to Mainichi Shimbun and TBS NEWS DIG. Mainichi reported that he was due to return to Japan after completing his assignment. Sankei Shimbun reported that the FSB had not disclosed his name or age. Asahi reported that the FSB described him as a correspondent registered with Russia's Foreign Ministry. [ 2 , 5 , 9 , 13 ]
The FSB released footage of the detention. TBS NEWS DIG reported that the footage showed uniformed people entering what appeared to be a hotel room and detaining a person who appeared to be the reporter. It also showed a man being taken onto an aircraft and transferred to a Moscow court, as well as authorities searching the newspaper's Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk bureau. Russia's Foreign Ministry said October 13 that the situation would further worsen the atmosphere of relations with Japan. [ 13 ]
Why it matters
A Moscow court ordered at least two months of detention, Asahi Shimbun reported. Russia's Foreign Ministry said the case would further worsen the atmosphere of Russian-Japanese relations, while Japan's embassy was seeking to verify the facts.
Key facts
- The FSB said it detained a Japanese male reporter from Hokkaido Shimbun's Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk bureau on suspicion of espionage. [ 2 , 3 , 10 , 13 ]
- The reporter was detained before leaving Russia and then transferred to Moscow, according to Japanese reports. [ 2 , 5 , 9 , 10 , 13 ]
- A Moscow court ordered at least two months of detention, Asahi Shimbun reported. [ 9 ]
- Hokkaido Shimbun and Japan's embassy said they were checking the facts. [ 6 , 13 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The reporter's name and age were not disclosed in the FSB announcement described by Sankei. Sankei Shimbun reported that the FSB had not made these details public.
- The FSB's espionage allegations have not been independently established in these documents. The reports attribute the allegations to the FSB; the newspaper and Japan's embassy said they were verifying the details.