Russia detains Japanese journalist Yuki Imai on espionage allegation

Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, said it detained Yuki Imai, a Japanese correspondent for the Hokkaido Shimbun, in the far-eastern Sakhalin region on October 13 and accused him of espionage. Russian authorities said Imai, who had reported on military recruitment in the region, was later taken to Moscow, where a court ordered him held before trial.¹²⁴

Russian allegations and custody

The FSB said Imai, a Japanese national, had gathered information about Russian military personnel on instructions from Japanese intelligence. According to the service, the information concerned residents of islands controlled by Moscow who had been mobilised for Russia’s war against Ukraine or had volunteered to fight. The allegations have not been independently established in the material available.²³

Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, identified the detainee as Imai and said he was accused of "conducting espionage activities on Russian territory". The security service said proceedings had been initiated, and Meduza, citing Russian court records, reported that the matter falls under Article 276 of the criminal code. Reports said the potential penalty is up to 20 years in prison.¹²

The FSB released video of the detention, according to reports. The video reportedly showed officers making Imai unlock his electronic devices; a separate account said masked personnel entered a hotel room, made a man lie on the floor and placed him in handcuffs. Russian reports said he was flown to Moscow after being detained in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, and that he would remain in custody until December 12.¹²

Reporting in the Russian far east

Imai had been accredited by Russia’s foreign ministry and had been reporting on military recruitment in the far east, according to reports. Meduza reported that he had visited Russia since 2014 and that his latest trip began in summer 2026. His most recent article, published on October 5, concerned North Korean nationals in the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk area.¹²⁴

The detention took place near islands disputed by Russia and Japan. The FSB allegation focused on information collected among residents there, while Moscow accused the journalist of obtaining defence-related information. According to the reports, Russia has administered the islands since World War II ended.³⁶¹

Zakharova criticised what she described as Japanese efforts to use correspondents in Russia to obtain information damaging to Russian state security, and said such activity was "not an isolated case". Japan’s embassy in Moscow said the government was trying to determine the circumstances of Imai’s reported detention. Tokyo has said it will continue sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine, according to the reports.¹

Previous espionage cases

The case follows Russia’s 2023 arrest of Evan Gershkovich, a US journalist accused of espionage. A Russian court sentenced Gershkovich to 16 years in a penal colony; he was freed in a 2024 prisoner exchange with Western countries. Meduza reported that the previous detention of a Japanese journalist in Russia on espionage allegations was in 2019, when the journalist was accused and expelled.¹²

Separately, the Kyiv Independent reported that Russia regularly brings politically motivated cases against opposition figures, journalists and foreign nationals, and that independent media outlets have been banned. It also cited Reporters Without Borders as saying Russia is holding dozens of journalists and media workers. Those broader characterisations are reported assessments, rather than findings in Imai’s individual case.³