According to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on October 30 local time, Japanese Foreign Minister Hirokazu Miyauchi held a roughly 30-minute meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Atlanta, USA. He strongly demanded that Russia release the Hokkaido News journalist who was detained in Sakhalin Oblast in the Russian Far East immediately.
Regarding the situation in Ukraine, Mōmǔ expressed that he hopes Russia will make a positive response in order to achieve just and lasting peace.
He also conveyed the position of the Japanese government to Russia regarding issues such as Russian President Putin's visit to Kitrak, one of the four northern islands (referred to by Russia as the “South Kola Islands”), in August, and the discontinuation of the policy allowing former island residents to visit local cemeteries without a visa. Both sides agreed that even when Japanese-Russian relations are in a difficult state, communication should continue to be maintained.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Lavrov emphasized that for true inter-state dialogue to be resumed, the Japanese government must abandon its 'unfriendly stance' towards Russia. The Russian side also noted that this meeting was held at the request of Japan.
Both Mokki and Lavrov are attending the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Atlanta.
According to Japan's Kyodo News, this is the first formal meeting between Japanese and Russian foreign ministers in about 5 years since September 2021. It is also the first such meeting since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022. In July of this year, the two ministers also had a brief conversation during an ASEAN-related meeting held in the Philippines.
On October 30th, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshihiko Muji held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. Kyodo News
According to the International News Agency, the Russian Federal Security Service confirmed on October 13 that a Japanese journalist working for the 'Hokkaido News' had been ‘collecting information about Russia’s defense capabilities’. The Russian side has arrested him on suspicion of spying.
The Russian Federal Security Service found that the Japanese journalist was collecting and storing information related to Russia's defense capabilities, and transmitting it in accordance with instructions from Japanese intelligence agencies, thereby endangering Russian security.
On October 24th, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhahrova stated that recruiting journalists for intelligence agencies is a traditional practice of the Japanese government.
“Has Tokyo forgotten that it has always been a tradition of the Japanese government to recruit journalists for cooperation with intelligence agencies?” she wrote on social media. “The Japanese themselves have publicly disclosed this matter in their writings.” She cited several works by Japanese writers, which documented cases of Japanese journalists working together with intelligence agencies.
In this regard, Zhahrova advises those Japanese commentators who claim that "journalists are not supposed to be involved in intelligence activities" to first understand their own country's history. If they want to express their dissatisfaction, they should target the Japanese government and the Western "guides" behind it.
Zaharova concluded, “Therefore, the issue is not whether Japanese journalists will work for intelligence agencies. History has fully proven that Japanese journalists not only may engage in such activities, but indeed do so.”
