TOKYO - Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi urged Russia on Tuesday to immediately release a Japanese national detained there and called it "regrettable" that consular access to him has not yet been allowed.
A Japanese journalist was taken into custody on Sakhalin in the Russian Far East on suspicion of espionage, Russian's security agency said on Oct. 13. A bilateral treaty provides for the right to consular access within four days of a person being taken into custody, Motegi said.
"It is extremely regrettable that a consular meeting could not take place within the prescribed period" of four days, Motegi said, adding Japan also calls for humanitarian consideration and fair and equitable treatment for the detained national.
"We are approaching and coordinating with Russia through various channels. The ministry is doing everything it can. There is no doubt about this," Motegi said.
Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that one of its senior officials held talks with Kimitake Nakamura, director general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's European Affairs Bureau. Nakamura is believed to have pressed for Russia to allow early consular access.
The Russian ministry had said a journalist with the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper was detained by the Federal Security Service for conducting intelligence activities. According to Russian media, he was transported to Moscow and a local court approved his detention for two months.
