Belarus detains Japanese national on suspicion of spying

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - A Japanese national has been detained in Belarus on suspicion of spying, the Japanese embassy in Minsk confirmed Tuesday.

Belarusian authorities informed the embassy of the detention on Monday, but no further details have been disclosed, including the individual’s name or gender, the Japanese news outlet NHK reported.

Embassy officials said they are working to protect Japanese nationals in the country.

Belarusian media previously reported that a Japanese man was detained earlier this month in the Gomel region bordering Ukraine on suspicion of spying.

He was allegedly filming a bridge over railway tracks, with authorities alerted by a train conductor.

The incident follows the detention of another Japanese man in July, a former language teacher in his 50s, accused of gathering intelligence on military facilities. He remains in custody.

Japan previously warned its citizens about the possibility of being detained by Belarusian authorities if they take photos or videos of “government facilities and special government facilities” and urged them to refrain from taking pictures in general, as it is not clear which facilities fall under this category.