Moscow: In a move that is likely to spark tension between Russia and Japan, Moscow is likely to expell a Japanese diplomat following allegations of spying.
“Russia is all set to expel a Japanese diplomat based in Vladivostok after he allegedly obtained classified documents on Moscow’s cooperation with an “Asia-Pacific” country,” sources told The Islamabad Telegraph.
Earlier on Monday, the Federal Security Service (FSB) confirmed that Russian authorities had caught the Japanese consul Motoko Tatsunori “red-handed” receiving classified information about “Russia’s cooperation with one of the countries of the Asia-Pacific” and the “impact of western sanctions on the Primorsky region.”
Sources told this publication that Russia has taken the matter very seriously and informed Japan through the proper channels.
” Russia has taken the incident seriously and informed the Japanese authorities accordingly. The diplomat is being deported soon,” said a source.
Sources further told the ‘Islamabad Telegraph, that the Japanese diplomat was under the radar for a long time. He was caught red-handed. The classified information he had obtained was about Russia’s correspondence with North Korea.
It is worth noting that the FSB’s allegations come as growing ties between Moscow and Pyongyang have attracted increasing international attention. Notably, North Korea has discussed the possibility of sending workers to help rebuild Russia-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine, while the U.S. has assessed that Moscow has sought to purchase military arms from Pyongyang.
The FSB also released a video that allegedly shows the Japanese diplomat in a restaurant receiving documents about a third country from a woman across the table. The video then shows the consul in an office of the security bureau, confessing to breaking Russian laws.
Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Tuesday that there is “no evidence” that the diplomat conducted illegal spying, adding that Russian authorities violated Vienna Convention rules by blindfolding the consul and restraining his hands.
Media reports quoted James Brown, an associate professor at Temple University’s Japan campus, as saying that if the allegations are true then the unnamed “Asia-Pacific” country in FSB’s statement is likely North Korea or China.
“These are considered the two leading threats to Japan’s security. But given the proximity of Vladivostok to the Korean border, we may speculate that it is slightly more likely that the information was about North Korea,” Brown told NK News.
Vladivostok is the administrative center of Russia’s Primorsky Krai, the only Russian region that shares a border with North Korea. The city has historically been a hotspot for DPRK economic activity and trade.
Brown added that growing Russia-DPRK ties are a concern to Japan.
“Tokyo is worried that, as Moscow becomes increasingly desperate due its disastrous invasion of Ukraine, it may enhance cooperation with Pyongyang and seek joint ways to retaliate against countries that both Russia and North Korea consider unfriendly,” he said. “This, of course, includes Japan itself.”
Anthony Rinna, an expert on Russia-DPRK relations and NK Pro contributor, agreed that the country in question was likely North Korea but kept open the possibility that “the arrested diplomat was looking into Russian cooperation with China.”
“Tokyo has every reason to be sensitive about tightening DPRK-Russia cooperation,” Rinna told NK News, citing security concerns such as the Kuril Islands, which Japan and Russia both claim.
Russia’s foreign ministry said the Japanese consul was deemed “persona non grata” on Monday, requiring him to leave the country within 48 hours.
The FSB and Russia’s foreign ministry did not immediately reply to NK News requests for comment on the identity of the “Asia-Pacific” country.
