Japan pressed Russia to free a detained newspaper reporter after a treaty deadline for consular access passed, leaving Japanese officials unable to check his condition in person.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Oct. 20 that the Hokkaido Shimbun journalist had been held since Oct. 13, local time. Tokyo had requested a meeting at the detention facility to assess his health and learn what happened from him. Russia had neither arranged a visit nor explained the delay, Motegi said.
The protocol sets a two-to-four-day window for consular visits, with the deadline depending on the detainee’s location. Japan had already protested the missed consular deadline. Motegi called the continued lack of a visit “extremely regrettable.”
Japan’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev on Oct. 14 to seek information, contact with the reporter and humanitarian, fair treatment. The ministry also objected to Russia’s announcement of the detention before giving Tokyo an explanation.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Moscow’s Lefortovo District Court ordered the reporter placed under arrest in a case under Article 276 of Russia’s criminal code, which concerns espionage. The agency said he was taken to Moscow after being detained in Sakhalin Region before his departure from Russia.
Fuji News Network reported that Japanese Embassy staff went to the Lefortovo detention facility on Oct. 16 but could not meet the reporter. It also reported that Japan’s ambassador sought consular access at the Russian Foreign Ministry on Oct. 19.
Senior Japanese and Russian diplomats met in Moscow on Oct. 20 and discussed bilateral issues, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said. Its account did not identify specific topics. Motegi said Tokyo would continue seeking a consular visit, the journalist’s release and fair treatment.
