Russia arrests Japanese journalist on Sakhalin, FSB says, amid rising Japan tensions

Russia’s Federal Security Service said a Japanese journalist was arrested on Sakhalin Island on suspicion of spying. The agency linked the case to alleged efforts to collect defence-related information. The detention came as relations between Russia and Japan stayed tense over a long-running island dispute.

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The FSB said the man worked for the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper and was suspected of gathering details about Russia’s defence capability. The agency said the information was sought "on behalf of a Japanese intelligence agency.\" The FSB added that the journalist was detained while preparing to leave Russia.

FSB arrest video and court order in Japanese journalist case

According to the FSB, the suspect was flown to Moscow after the arrest and then placed in custody. The agency released video that showed masked officers in black clothes detaining the man in a hotel room. The footage also showed an escort to a plane for Moscow and a later court hearing.

The video showed the suspect appearing before a judge at the Lefortovo District Court. The judge ordered the suspect held for two months while investigators continued the probe. The FSB, described as the main successor agency to the Soviet KGB, said it did not name the detained journalist.

Kuril Islands dispute and Russia-Japan tensions after Putin visit

The arrest followed a period of higher tensions after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Kuril Islands in August. The island chain is controlled by Moscow but claimed by both countries. Russia’s Sakhalin region includes Sakhalin Island and the four southernmost Kuril islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories.

Putin visited Iturup in August, in what was described as the first visit to the islands. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi criticised the trip and linked it to wider strains. Takaichi said Putins visit, his first to the islands, was incompatible with the Japanese position on the Northern Territories and was absolutely unacceptable.

Moscow reacted by summoning the Japanese ambassador to protest criticism from Takaichi and other officials. Russian authorities also repeated their stance on control of the area. Russia said Russias sovereignty and jurisdiction over the southern Kuril Islands are absolutely unshakable.

The Kuril Islands were taken by the Soviet Union from Japan in the final days of World War II. The dispute has continued for decades and has blocked the signing of a peace treaty. Multiple rounds of talks have not produced a settlement, and Moscow has reinforced its military presence there over the years.

Russian arrests of foreigners and prisoner swaps involving journalists

In recent years, Russia has detained several foreigners, mostly Americans, on criminal allegations. Some were later freed through exchanges involving the United States and other Western nations. The biggest swap since the Cold War took place in August 2024 and involved a multinational deal.

In that exchange, Moscow released journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, along with American Paul Whelan. Russian dissidents were also freed under the agreement. The deal released two dozen people, as governments completed the arrangement across several countries.

The FSB said the Japanese journalist remained under investigation in Moscow after the Sakhalin arrest. The case unfolded during renewed Russia-Japan friction over the Kuril Islands and the Northern Territories dispute. Officials on both sides have restated firm positions, while the decades-long row has continued without a peace treaty.

With inputs from PTI