In Yuzhno‑Sakhalinsk, a city on Sakhalin Island, FSB officers stopped a Japanese journalist as he prepared to leave Russia. The detainee, identified by reports as Imai Yuki, is 34 years old and works as a correspondent for the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper bureau. He was taken into custody and later transferred to Moscow for further processing.
The FSB alleges that the journalist was collecting and storing information related to Russia’s defense capabilities. According to the agency, this activity was carried out on behalf of Japanese intelligence.
Reports indicate that, prior to his arrest, the journalist had been traveling in the Primorsky Krai region. While there, he was researching the 1945 Soviet‑Japanese war and examining contemporary bilateral relations between Russia and Japan. This background is cited to explain his presence in the area.
The court acted under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code, which defines espionage.
On October 13, 2026, the Lefortovo Court in Moscow issued a ruling placing the journalist under arrest. The court acted under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code, which defines espionage. The same day, a criminal case was opened against him for espionage, and he was remanded in custody pending investigation.
The FSB released two statements concerning the case. The first said that on the territory of Sakhalin Oblast, the unlawful activities of the correspondent of the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper bureau accredited at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Yuzhno‑Sakhalinsk had been stopped. The second announced that an investigative unit of the FSB had opened a criminal case under Article 276 against a Japanese national, that the Lefortovo Court had ordered pretrial detention, and that further investigative and operational measures were underway.
Following the court’s decision, the Japanese correspondent remains in custody. He is being held while the investigation proceeds, with the FSB conducting additional investigative and operational actions. No further details about his condition or the evidence presented have been disclosed in the available sources.
As of the date of the court’s ruling, the case is active, with the journalist detained in Moscow awaiting further proceedings.