The case of the detention of a Japanese journalist in Moscow reacts... and Takaichi denies any espionage activity

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi denied on Thursday that her country was carrying out espionage activity in Russia, following Moscow's arrest of a Japanese journalist on suspicion of involvement in espionage.

“There is no such thing,” Takaichi told reporters in response to a question about the Russian accusations, adding that “protecting Japanese citizens is of great importance at the present time, and we intend to focus our efforts on that.”

In recent years, Russia has arrested a number of citizens of countries it considers “unfriendly” on suspicion of working for Western intelligence services.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the journalist was Yuki Imai from the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper, and a spokeswoman stated that he was accused of "carrying out espionage activities on Russian territory."

In response, Tokyo summoned the Russian ambassador to lodge a protest while demanding that the Japanese Foreign Ministry "ensure fair and impartial treatment" of the journalist.

Takaichi said Thursday that the details of the accusations are still unclear, adding, "Local laws vary from one country to another, so we do not yet know the details of what they call an 'allegation.'"

The Russian Federal Security Service announced earlier the arrest of a Japanese citizen on Sakhalin Island in the far east of the country, near a group of disputed islands, without revealing his name. The agency stated that the arrested person was working for Japanese intelligence in collecting information about Russian defense capabilities.

Russian-Japanese relations are witnessing severe tensions, especially against the backdrop of disputed islands in the Pacific Ocean, off the northeastern coast of Japan and to the southwest of the Russian Sakhalin region.

The Kuril Islands, known in Japan as the "Northern Territories", have been under Russia's sovereignty since the end of World War II, when the Soviet Union took control of them.

Japanese Cabinet Secretary-General Minoru Kihara stated that Japan was unable to communicate with the person concerned and did not become aware of the arrest until after the official announcement was issued by Moscow.

For its part, the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper said in a statement that it was aware of the Russian announcement but was "still verifying the details." The newspaper said, "Ensuring the safety of the journalist is our top priority, and we are dealing with the situation accordingly."