Belarus arrests Japanese national on spy allegations

MOSCOW

A Japanese national was arrested in Belarus on spy allegations, Belarusian media reported.

According to the state Belteleradio, the man worked for Japan's intelligence and was collecting information about the political situation in Belarus, the implementation of the Chinese Belt Road Initiative, developments on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, and filming military infrastructure.

"My actions may be dangerous for Belarus," the man was seen saying in a video posted by the Belteleradio on Telegram.

The media announced that the details of the detention of the alleged Japanese intelligence agent will be set out in a special report, titled The Failure of the Samurai from Tokyo, which will appear on television on Sept. 5.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi declined to comment on the arrest of the Japanese citizen in Belarus and said the man has no particular health issues.

However, the Japanese Embassy in Belarus said that a Japanese citizen in his 50s was detained for violating Belarusian law on July 9, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

The embassy further said that its staff provides consular assistance to the detained person.

*Islamuddin Sajid contributed to this story.