Japan urges Russia to release detained journalist, calls for lasting peace in Ukraine

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi urged Russia on Friday to release a detained Japanese journalist and take steps toward a just and lasting peace in Ukraine during talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

The ministers met on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Atlanta, the US, where they discussed bilateral issues and the war in Ukraine, according to a Japanese Foreign Ministry statement.

Motegi made a "demarche and an argument regarding various current issues between Japan and Russia," the ministry said.

He "strongly demanded" the immediate release of a Japanese national detained in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast on suspicion of espionage, according to the statement.

Russia's Federal Security Service earlier this month accused a correspondent for the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk bureau of Japanese newspaper Hokkaido Shimbun of collecting and storing information on Russia's defense capabilities for Japanese intelligence.

The agency said the information could be used against Russia's security and opened a criminal case against the journalist, while Moscow's Lefortovo District Court ordered the journalist's arrest pending an investigation.

- Japan calls for lasting peace in Ukraine

Motegi also raised the war in Ukraine during the meeting, reiterating Tokyo's position on the conflict.

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.

They agreed to remain in contact "even amid the severe situation in Japan-Russia relations," according to the statement.

Relations between Japan and Russia have deteriorated sharply since Moscow launched its war against Ukraine in February 2022, prompting Tokyo to impose sanctions on Russia.