Japan denies spying in Russia after arrest of Japanese journalist

"There is no such fact," Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters on Oct. 15 when asked about Russia's accusations, according to The Japan Times.

Takaichi said the details of the allegations remained unclear and emphasized that protecting Japanese citizens was the government's immediate priority.

Russia's Foreign Ministry identified the detained journalist as Yuki Imai, a reporter for the Japanese newspaper Hokkaido Shimbun, on Oct. 13. Moscow accused him of conducting espionage on Russian territory.

Russian security services detained Imai on Sakhalin Island. According to Russian media reports, he is accused of collecting information for Japanese intelligence about residents of the Kuril Islands mobilized to fight against Ukraine.

The allegations have not been independently verified.

Japan's Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to protest the detention and demand fair and impartial treatment of the journalist.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Japanese officials had not yet been able to contact Imai but were working to arrange a meeting as soon as possible.

Kihara also said Tokyo had been unaware of the arrest until Moscow publicly announced it.

The Committee to Protect Journalists called for Imai's immediate release.

"Journalists must not be used as leverage in wider geopolitical disputes," said Fiona O'Brien, the organization's director for Europe and Central Asia.

According to the committee, Russia is holding at least 30 journalists in connection with their work.

Hokkaido Shimbun said ensuring its reporter's safety was its highest priority and that it was still working to establish the circumstances of his detention.

The case comes amid a longstanding territorial dispute between Japan and Russia over the Kuril Islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories. The Soviet Union seized the islands at the end of World War II, and they remain under Russian control.