Russian authorities have detained a Japanese journalist on espionage charges, accusing him of gathering intelligence on people involved in Russia’s military activities in the disputed Kuril Islands.
The journalist, identified as Yuki Imai of Japan’s Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper, was arrested in Russia’s far-eastern Sakhalin region a day before he was due to leave the country, according to Russian media reports. He was subsequently flown to Moscow, where a court ordered his pre-trial detention. Russian news agency Interfax reported that he would remain in custody until December 12 ahead of his trial.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) alleged that Imai acted on instructions from Japan’s national intelligence service to collect information about individuals involved in what Moscow calls its special military operation on the Kuril Islands. The FSB released footage showing masked men entering a hotel room, handcuffing a man and escorting him onto a plane. The footage later showed the man inside a courtroom detention cage in Moscow. However, the agency did not specify when the arrest or court hearing took place.
Japan said it was seeking further information about the case and had not yet established contact with Imai. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Tokyo was unaware of the detention until Russian authorities announced it.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticised Japan’s alleged use of journalists to gather intelligence, describing the incident as regrettable. She also claimed the case was not an isolated incident but did not identify other journalists or media organisations allegedly involved in similar activities.
Hokkaido Shimbun confirmed that it was checking the details of the arrest, adding that the reporter’s safety was its top priority. Imai’s published work has covered Russia’s relations with North Korea and life in Sakhalin.
Kuril Islands Dispute Fuels Tensions
The arrest comes amid worsening relations between Russia and Japan over the Kuril Islands, an archipelago stretching between northern Japan and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. Russia administers the islands, but Japan claims four of the southernmost islands, which it calls the Northern Territories. The territorial dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a formal peace treaty following World War II.
Tensions intensified after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the disputed islands in August. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi criticised the visit, saying it hurt the feelings of the Japanese people and conflicted with Tokyo’s position on the Northern Territories. Moscow dismissed her remarks as politically inappropriate and legally unfounded.
Japan has also imposed sanctions on Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, further straining bilateral relations. Last week, Moscow reportedly requested the extradition of International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane, a Japanese national. Russia placed Akane and other ICC officials on its wanted list after the court issued an arrest warrant for Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
