TOKYO – The Japanese Embassy in Russia said Friday that it had been unable to meet with a male reporter for The Hokkaido Shimbun Press newspaper who is being detained on suspicion of espionage by Russia’s Federal Security Service. The reason the meeting did not take place remains unclear.
The embassy said it would continue pressing Russian authorities to arrange consular access to the man as soon as possible.
Senior embassy officials visited Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, where the man is believed to be held, on Friday and remained there for about an hour. The visit had been arranged in advance with Russian authorities, but the officials were ultimately unable to meet with him.
The reporter was detained on Tuesday in Sakhalin in Russia’s Far East and subsequently transferred to Moscow. The Japanese government received formal notification of his detention through diplomatic channels on Thursday.
Tokyo has requested access to the journalist, saying a meeting is necessary to establish the facts surrounding his detention.
ANN/The Yomiuri Shimbun