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2026 October 21 - 27 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Journalists’ group calls for early release of Japanese journalist held in Russia

The Japan Congress of Journalist (JCJ) on October 21 issued a statement calling for the early release of a Japanese correspondent assigned to the Hokkaido Shimbun’s bureau in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, who is under restraint by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).

The reporter was detained against his will on October 13 on spying charges. He denied the charges.

The JCJ’s statement stresses, “Freedom of the press must be respected irrespective of the type of government,” and urges the Japanese government to exert maximum diplomatic efforts to ensure the safety of the reporter and his immediate release.

The statement also points out that the Hokkaido Shimbun, as the only media outlet with a permanent correspondent stationed in Sakhalin, has “contributed to economic and private-sector exchanges between Hokkaido and the Russian Far East, as well as between Japan and Russia.” It expressed its support for the Hokkaido Shimbun which declares its position that it is a news organization independent of the government and that it does not conduct reporting and information gathering based on government directives.

The Japan Federation of Newspaper Workers’ Unions (Shimbun Roren), the Japan P.E.N. Club, and various other organizations have also issued statements to the same effect.