Minsk does not refuse further contacts with Tokyo after the detention of a Japanese citizen for espionage, said the official representative of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry Anatoly Glaz.
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“At the same time, we do not refuse further contacts with the Japanese side in this case,” Glaz said.
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According to Glaz, Minsk emphasizes the unacceptability of any actions by foreign intelligence services that violate Belarusian sovereignty.
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Earlier, the Belarus 1 TV channel reported the detention of a Japanese secret service agent. According to the report, the detained Japanese citizen “had the most extensive interests, ranging from collecting information about the socio-political situation in Belarus, the implementation of the Chinese initiative “One Belt – One Road” and ending with what is happening on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, filming military infrastructure.” The Japanese government confirmed the detention of a Japanese citizen in Belarus this summer, noting that he is being provided with consular support.
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The day before, the Belarus 1 TV channel aired a program in which Masatoshi Nakanishi, detained in Gomel, stated that his data could be used by Ukraine or the United States for a potential missile attack on Belarus. According to the TV channel, the Japanese took more than 9 thousand accurate photographs from the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, mainly bridges, roads, railways, military and logistics facilities. Two channels were used to transmit information, with the backup one located at the Japanese Embassy in Minsk.
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It is clarified that Nakanishi was detained by the KGB of Belarus in July. He was recruited and trained in Japan and then sent on a mission to Gomel. The Japanese made detailed reports for each of the six years spent in Belarus. He intended to pass the information to Japan’s National Public Security Commission, one of whose divisions handles intelligence and counterintelligence activities. The head of the investigative department of the KGB of Belarus, Konstantin Bychek, told the TV channel that Nakanishi collected and transmitted various information of a military nature. In accordance with this article, a foreigner may face from three to seven years in prison.
