Japanese Embassy Confirms Detention Of Second Japanese Citizen In Belarus

It was reported that he was filming a rail bridge.

Japan has officially confirmed the detention of its second citizen in Belarus. The relevant statement was made by the country's embassy in Minsk on December 17, The Asahi Shimbun reports.

“Belarus detained a second Japanese citizen who was reportedly filming a road, the Japanese Embassy in Belarus reported on December 17. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus notified the Embassy of Japan of the detention on December 16," writes The Asahi Shimbun.

Location of the scene and general view of the detained Japanese citizen's object of observation Image: Community of Railway Workers of Belarus

It notes that Belarusian independent media reported on the detention of a Japanese citizen in early December.

The Embassy of Japan in Belarus appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country for confirmation and received a response, the embassy informed.

However, the embassy said it could not disclose the name of the detainee or the charges against him.

Not the first Japanese detained

Recall, the Community of Railwaymen of Belarus reported on December 3 that a Japanese citizen was detained at the Kalinkavichy-Zapadnye — Klinsk crossing of the Homel branch of the Belarusian Railways. He was filming the "structures of the road overpass of the M10 Homel — Kobryn highway".

On September 4, the state-owned channel Belarus 1 reported that in Belarus "the activities of Japanese special services were suppressed for the first time." The detained man allegedly collected information about the socio-political situation in Belarus, the implementation of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative and what was happening on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, and also filmed the military facilities.

The plot showed a detained Japanese man who said that his name was Nakanishi Masatoshi. A person with such a name and surname was found on the website of the Francisk Skaryna Homel State University. On the website of the university, he is presented as a teacher of the Japanese language at the training courses of the "HSU-Profi" Institute of Continuing Education.

Then Japan also confirmed the detention of its citizen.

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