Russia claims consular meeting for detained Japan reporter held promptly
A consular meeting between embassy officials and the Hokkaido Shimbun reporter took place nearly two weeks after he was detained.
Russian officials have stated that a consular meeting with a detained Japanese journalist was conducted promptly, despite the meeting occurring nearly two weeks after his arrest, which is earlier than the four-day window mandated by the countries' consular convention. At a press conference on Wednesday, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova did not mention the time constraint, stating that the meeting took place immediately following completion of necessary procedures.
The Japanese government confirmed on Monday that embassy officials met with the reporter from the Hokkaido Shimbun daily newspaper. The consular visit took place on October 13, nearly two weeks after the reporter was detained on suspicion of espionage. According to Zakharova, the meeting was held at the Lefortovo detention center in eastern Moscow, involving three embassy officials - a minister-counselor, a counselor, and the head of the consular department.
While emphasizing that there are no restrictions on Japanese journalists' activities in Russia, Zakharova cautioned the Japanese side against abusing this privilege, especially for anti-Russian activities. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the arrest of the Japanese journalist on October 13 in the Sakhalin region of the Russian Far East, alleging that he was gathering information on troops mobilized for Russia's military operations in Ukraine from the Kuril Islands.
These islands are claimed by both Japan and Russia, with Moscow asserting sovereignty over the four northwestern Pacific islands at the heart of a longstanding territorial dispute between the two countries.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
