The journalist, accredited with the Russian Foreign Ministry, was detained on the eve of his departure from the country and taken to Moscow, according to the FSB press service. The agency said he had gathered information related to Russia's defense capabilities "for use against the country's security."

The Lefortovsky District Court of Moscow ordered him held in custody. A criminal case has been opened under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Espionage"), which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The FSB did not disclose the detainee's name. The outlet Ostorozhno, Novosti reported that he may be Imai Yuki, 34. According to the outlet, he arrived in Russia in the summer and visited Primorsky Krai, including Vladivostok and Nakhodka, interviewed Russian-speaking residents of Japan and took an interest in life in the Russian Far East.

The Insider, citing Ostorozhno, Novosti, reported that Yuki was interested in the history of the 1945 Soviet-Japanese War and relations between the two countries. In June, he took part alongside students of a children's creative arts center in researching a historical site linked to the detention of Japanese prisoners of war after World War II. The institution's publication described the journalist's visit as an example of interest in one's country's history and preserving the memory of ancestors.

People Yuki traveled with in the region noted that the journalist understands Russian well and can communicate in it.

Mediazona noted that this is not the first case of Japanese journalists being detained in Russia on suspicion of espionage. In 2001, NHK television and radio company correspondent Ando Takashi was detained and accused of trying to take out a videocassette showing a Defense Ministry facility. In 2020, a Japanese journalist was detained on suspicion of espionage and accused of gathering information about Russia's military potential in the Far East. After a warning, the man was released and left Russia.

Sources differ: the FSB has not disclosed the detainee's name, while Ostorozhno, Novosti names him as Imai Yuki and reports his age. There is no official confirmation of this information.