Detention and denial

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Tuesday, 13 October, that it had detained a reporter for the Hokkaido Shimbun on suspicion of espionage. Russian authorities named him as Yuki Imai, chief of the newspaper's Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk branch. According to Tass, the FSB alleges he collected and stored information on mobilized and volunteer participants in Russia's special military operation, acting on the instructions of Japan's national intelligence service. Tass also released footage of investigators handcuffing him in a hotel room. The newspaper said it knew of the Russian announcement but was still checking the details, and the reporter is male and assigned to its bureau in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Tokyo learned of the detention only from Moscow's announcement, because Russia gave no consular notification.

Tokyo's response

On Wednesday, 14 October, Japan's Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev to request information and humanitarian consideration for the journalist, and to protest the unilateral announcement and the absence of prior notice. Nozdrev rejected Japan's requests, according to the Russian Embassy in Tokyo, which said on Thursday that the investigation would follow Russian law. He also claimed Japanese intelligence uses journalists to collect undisclosed information, an allegation Tokyo has rejected. On Thursday, 15 October, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi denied that her government had been involved in espionage in Russia, and she said Japan would convey its position to Moscow.

“We'll convey our position.”

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Tokyo had not been able to establish contact with the reporter and was working to arrange a meeting as soon as possible.

“We'll put our effort into holding a consular meeting as soon as possible to confirm his health condition.”

Etorofu and military moves

A Chinese delegation visited Etorofu, one of four islands Japan claims as the Northern Territories and Russia controls. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi called the visit 'absolutely unacceptable' and lodged protests with both Moscow and Beijing, while also demanding fair and humane treatment for the detained journalist. Russia notified Japan that it will hold military exercises on Etorofu from 13 to 17 October and restrict access to some airspace from 10 to 16 October. Beijing said the achievements of the victory over fascism in World War II must be respected. Some media read the Russian and Chinese moves as pressure on Takaichi's government, and Nozdrev said practical cooperation, including such exchanges, would keep expanding.

Wider tensions and precedents

The Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based nonprofit, called on Wednesday, 14 October, for the reporter's immediate release. Its Europe and Central Asia director, Fiona O'Brien, said the detention was 'deeply chilling to see' in a statement.

“Journalists must not be used as leverage in wider geopolitical disputes.”

The committee also said Russia holds at least 30 journalists in connection with their work. Relations between the two countries deteriorated sharply after Tokyo imposed sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Russia designated Japan an 'unfriendly nation'. Putin made his first trip to one of the four islands in August this year. Earlier cases include a Kyodo News reporter held in Vladivostok in December 2019 and released hours later, and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, detained in March 2023, who was sentenced to 16 years and freed in a prisoner swap in August 2024.