There is a diplomatic row between Japan and Russia after an interrogation in which the Japanese Consul General was illegally forced to confess. Russia accuses him of espionage.
Japan summoned the Russian ambassador to the country. The Japanese don’t like an out-of-control interrogation with a Japanese consul general in the Russian city of Vladivostok. The diplomat was “blindfolded” and “physically forbidden”. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi talks about “interrogation under pressure”. This practice is inconsistent with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Russian security services arrested the consul, who is active in eastern Russia, on suspicion of espionage. He is said to have collected information about the impact of Western sanctions on Russia and cooperation between Russia and another country in the region. During the interrogation, he was going to admit that he had violated Russian law. Minister Hayashi denies the allegations and expects an official apology from Moscow.
• Satellite images show how the Russians are fleeing the crowd
Meanwhile, the consul was declared persona non grata. He has 48 hours to leave Russia and is expected to return to Japanese soil on Wednesday. Russia has already classified Japan as an “enemy country” because it imposed sanctions on it after the invasion of Ukraine. It shares this title with the United States, member states of the European Union, and the United Kingdom.
