The FSB did not initially name the suspect. Some reports have since identified him as Yuki Imai, while other accounts describe him only as an unnamed suspect. The FSB released video footage showing masked officers storming the hotel room and handcuffing him, along with footage of subsequent court proceedings. He was flown to Moscow after the arrest.

A judge at the Lefortovo District Court in Moscow ordered him held in pre-trial detention for two months. Some reports citing Russian media say that order keeps him in custody until December 12; other accounts report the two-month term without specifying an end date.

Japan's government, led by Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, said Wednesday that it was urging Russia to ensure "fair and impartial treatment" for the journalist. The Japanese embassy in Moscow and the Japanese Consulate General in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk have asked Russian authorities for prompt information and humanitarian consideration. The Hokkaido Shimbun said ensuring the journalist's safety is its top priority while it works to confirm details of the case.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the arrest "regrettable" but said it was "not an isolated case," accusing Japan of using correspondents to gather information aimed at undermining Russian state security.

The arrest comes after months of rising tension between Moscow and Tokyo. President Vladimir Putin visited the disputed Kuril Islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories, in August 2026. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi condemned the visit as "incompatible with the Japanese position" and "absolutely unacceptable." The islands have been under Russian control since the end of World War II. Moscow subsequently summoned Japan's ambassador to protest what it called "anti-Russia" statements from Tokyo.

Russia has brought similar espionage charges against other foreign nationals in recent years, including American journalist Evan Gershkovich. Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2023. He was freed in August 2024 as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Western countries described as the largest such swap since the Cold War.