Russia’s arrest of Japanese journalist: Why are tensions rising?

Russia has arrested a Japanese journalist from Sakhalin Island after accusing him of spying and gathering information on its defence capabilities.

On Tuesday, Russian news agencies reported that the reporter, working for the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper, was arrested by the Federal Security Service (FSB) as he was preparing to leave the next day.

According to the TASS news agency, the FSB said the journalist, Imai Yuki, was arrested in the Sakhalin region and taken to Moscow after being accused in a “criminal case”.

The arrest of the Japanese citizen comes amid deteriorating relations between the two countries as Tokyo joined Western sanctions against Moscow due to the invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s August visit to Iturup Island, which is part of the Kuril Islands archipelago, drew sharp reactions from Japan.

The two countries have a longstanding territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands dating back more than a century.

Here’s what we know about the arrest:

Who is the arrested journalist and what is he accused of?

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova, during a press briefing on Tuesday, said Yuki was accused of espionage.

“Tokyo’s attempts to use its correspondents in Russia, who hold foreign journalist status, to gather information aimed at undermining our country’s security are regrettable. We cannot help but point out that today’s incident is not an isolated one,” Zakharova said.

“Given the overall decline in bilateral cooperation caused by the Japanese authorities’ anti-Russian policies since the start of the Second World War, as well as Tokyo’s reluctance to listen to Moscow’s concerns regarding Japan’s remilitarisation policy, which affects our legitimate security interests in the Far East, we are forced to note that this development will further darken the atmosphere of Russian-Japanese relations.”

Zakharova called on Tokyo to “come to its senses and change its approach, abandoning hostile steps towards Russia”.

According to Russia’s Interfax news agency, Yuki will be remanded until December 12 before the trial begins.

What has Japan said?

On Wednesday morning, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tokyo had requested the “prompt provision of information” from Russian authorities over the arrest.

“As well as for humanitarian consideration and fair and impartial treatment,” he added.

Japanese media have also reported that the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs would summon the Russian ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev to lodge a protest over the arrest, but no official confirmation has been released so far.

The Hokkaido Shimbun, where Yuki worked, said it was still confirming details and added that it would “respond with the reporter’s safety as our top priority”.

What’s the history of Russia-Japan tensions over Sakhalin Island?

While Russia administers the Kuril Islands archipelago, Japan claims the four southernmost islands – Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai islets – calling them the Northern Territories.

The Kuril chain of islands sits between Hokkaido in northern Japan and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.

The dispute began in 1855, after Russia and Japan established their first diplomatic and trade treaty, which also drew the Russo-Japanese border in the Kuril Islands, with Iturup under Japanese control and the islands to the north under Russian control.

Russia took control of the Kuril Islands after the 1945 Yalta agreement, which was signed by United States President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

Following Japan’s surrender in the final weeks of World War II, Moscow seized the entire archipelago and expelled about 17,000 Japanese citizens.

In the 1951 San Francisco peace treaty, Japan renounced the Kurils but maintained that the four southernmost islands were part of its territory. However, Russia never signed the treaty.

Because of the ongoing dispute, Russia and Japan have never signed a peace treaty to end World War II.

What’s behind the recent rise in tensions?

In August, Putin visited Iturup on his first-ever trip to the disputed islands.

He was the second president to visit the islands after his predecessor, Dmitry Medvedev.

But Putin’s visit caused uproar, with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi calling it “absolutely unacceptable”.

Takaichi told reporters at the time that Putin’s visit had “worsened Japanese sentiment towards Russia”, adding that the chain of islands was a “unique territory of [Japan] historically and under international law”.

“I hope that the Russian side will take the gravity of this matter very seriously,” she said.

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also said the islands were “inherently Japanese territory both historically and under international law, and the Government of Japan strongly protests this visit”.

What is the status of Russia-Japan relations?

Relations between the two neighbouring countries are at a low point.

Russia has increased its military presence on the Kuril Islands over the past decade, with Iturup used as its primary military airbase in the region.

Moscow has also labelled Japan as an “unfriendly” country due to sanctions over the Ukraine war.

On the other hand, Takaichi’s cabinet last week approved additional sanctions against Moscow, including expanded export bans and asset freezes for those linked to the Russian military.