Japan Demands Russia Free Detained Journalist in Lavrov Talks
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta, the US. The two discussed bilateral issues and the war in Ukraine, Japan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Motegi made a “demarche and an argument regarding various current issues between Japan and Russia,” the ministry said.
The Japanese minister “strongly demanded” the immediate release of a Japanese national held in Russia’s Sakhalin Oblast on suspicion of espionage, according to the statement.
Earlier this month, Russia’s domestic security service accused a correspondent in the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk bureau of a Japanese regional daily of gathering and storing information on Russian defense capabilities for Japanese intelligence. The agency said the material could be used against Russian security and opened a criminal case. A Moscow court, the Lefortovo District Court, ordered the journalist held in custody pending investigation.
Japan presses for lasting peace in Ukraine
Motegi also brought up the war in Ukraine, restating Tokyo’s stance on the conflict. The ministry said he “once again strongly called on Russia to take positive actions toward achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
The two agreed to stay in contact “even amid the severe situation in Japan-Russia relations,” according to the statement.
Ties between the two countries have worsened sharply since Moscow launched its war against Ukraine in February 2022, a move that led Tokyo to impose sanctions on Russia.
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