Japan protests to Belarus over spy accusations in state TV report

Japan has officially protested to Belarus following a state-run TV program that accused a Japanese national of espionage.

The protest was submitted through the Japanese Embassy in Belarus after the broadcast of a special report on September 5 night, which featured Masatoshi Nakanishi, a Japanese man detained in Belarus, Caliber.Az reports via Japanese media.

The program, titled "The Failure of a Samurai from Tokyo," claimed that Nakanishi, who had previously worked as a Japanese language teacher at a local educational institute in southeastern Belarus, was under investigation for alleged spying activities. Japan’s protest highlighted concerns over potential violations of Nakanishi's rights.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed strong disapproval of the broadcast, calling it "extremely regrettable." He assured that Japan would provide as much support as possible to protect its nationals.

Japan's relations with Belarus, a former Soviet state and current ally of Russia, have been strained due to Belarus’s involvement in supporting Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine since February 2022.