Japan protested to Russia over the detention of a Japanese consulate official on espionage allegations, denying the allegations and accusing Russian authorities of abusive interrogation.
The official was detained on Sept. 22 and interrogated with his eyes covered, his hands and head pressed and immobilized, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said, prompting it to lodge a protest and to demand an apology.
On Monday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry notified Japan’s Embassy in Moscow that the official had been declared “persona non grata,” or an undesirable person, on grounds he conducted illegal espionage activity and it ordered him to leave the country within 48 hours. “The alleged illegal activity insisted by the Russian side is completely groundless,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters.
Matsuno said Japan’s Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori summoned Russia’s ambassador and strongly protested, demanding a formal apology from the Russian government and measures to prevent a recurrence.The Russian authorities’ treatment of the consulate official was “intimidating” during the interrogation, adding that such handling of consular officials violates the Vienna convention and a Japan-Russo treaty over consular affairs, Matsuno said.
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