Japanese journalist arrested in Russia’s Sakhalin region on spying charges

MOSCOW (AP) — A Japanese journalist suspected of spying has been arrested on Russia’s Sakhalin Island, the top Russian domestic security agency said Tuesday.

The arrest comes amid a spike in tensions between Russia and Japan following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s August trip to the Kuril Islands, the Moscow-controlled Pacific archipelago that is claimed by both countries.

The Federal Security Service, the main KGB successor agency, said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that the Japanese man, who worked for the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper, was suspected of gathering information related to Russia’s defense capability on behalf of a Japanese intelligence agency.

It said the suspect, whom it didn’t name, was arrested in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the main city on Sakhalin Island, as he was preparing to leave Russia. The agency said the suspect was flown to Moscow, where a court on Tuesday ordered him to be held behind bars pending the probe.