Moscow arrests a Japanese diplomat and is said to have interrogated and abused him. He is accused of spying for his country. Japan rejects the Russian accusation and demands an apology from the Kremlin.
The Tokyo government has demanded an apology from Russia over the arrest and ill-treatment of a Japanese diplomat. "The officer was blindfolded, both hands and head were pinned to the ground so he could not move while in detention, and then he was interrogated in an authoritarian manner," a Japanese government spokesman said. Japan protests "with all vigor against these unbelievable actions".
Russia's FSB intelligence agency said on Monday that Tatsunori Motoki was "caught in the act of receiving secret information about Russia's cooperation with another country in the Asia-Pacific region in exchange for money." The diplomat was declared "persona non grata" and ordered to leave Russia within 48 hours.
The Japanese government spokesman rejected the allegations of espionage. Accordingly, Japan summoned the Russian ambassador and "demanded a formal apology" for the treatment of its diplomat, which violated the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. The diplomat is now free and will leave the country by Wednesday, the spokesman said.
According to Russian sources, the Japanese diplomat also tried to collect confidential information about "the impact of Western sanctions on the economic situation" in the Primorsky Krai in eastern Russia, which lies directly across from Japan.
Russia regards Japan, which supports EU and US sanctions against Russia, as an "enemy country". In early May, Russia banned more than 60 Japanese from entering the country, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
