Relations between Russian and Japan have been on a downward spiral of late, as Tokyo continues cozying up to the US military as well as NATO, and amid a long-simmering dispute over the Kuril Islands, which Japan identifies as its own Northern Territories.
Russia on Tuesday arrested a Japanese journalist, which the Kremlin says is actually a spy operating on behalf of the Japanese government.
The detained Japanese national has been identified as Yuki Imai, who works for Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper - a regional outlet for Japan's northern island. Hokkaido is one of the country's four main islands and the daily paper he writes for has large dissemination.
The FSB security agency has accused the man of utilizing media sources to gather intelligence, specifically on Russia's defense and intelligence capabilities.
Russian officials say they caught him retaining and storing sensitive data, in a saga that sounds parallel to the saga of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in 2023-2024.
Imai was reportedly preparing to exit the country upon his detention in the far eastern Sakhalin region.
Tokyo did not immediately issue a full-throated condemnation, only saying that the government is gathering more information on the identity of the detained and the circumstances of the case.
Toward this end, the Russian ambassador to Japan has been summoned, with a protest lodged over the detention, centered on the Kremlin issuing strong accusations yet without providing any explanation to Tokyo.
Japanese and European officials are now seeking access to the detained suspect, even as Russian state media has been airing footage of him in handcuffs.
The footage shows security raiding where he was staying and proceeding to search his electronic devices and belongings while he was held on the floor.
President Putin had back in August railed against Japan's stance on the Ukraine conflict, which aligns with NATO's perspective.
Putin had said: "Japan, our neighboring country, has used the events in Ukraine as a pretext, without examining the causes of the conflict, to pursue an unprovoked policy against Russia." He had during that time made a highly provocative trip to the disputed Kuril islands. Tokyo strongly protested the visit at the time.