Foreign correspondents' club in Seoul voices concern over Russia's detention of Japanese journalist

A foreign correspondents' club based in Seoul on Thursday expressed deep concern over Russia's detention of a Japanese journalist on suspicion of espionage, stressing that legitimate journalistic activities must be respected.

Last month, Russia's Federal Security Service said it had detained a Japanese journalist working for the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper in the far eastern Sakhalin region on suspicion of espionage.

"Gathering information in the public interest is fundamental to journalism. Legitimate newsgathering and reporting activities must be respected, and any action that threatens a journalist's personal safety on such grounds cannot be justified," the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club (SFCC) board said in a statement posted on its website.

It also called on Russian authorities to "ensure the physical safety and legal rights of the detained journalist and clearly state the reasons for the detention."

The journalist was later transferred to Moscow, where a court ordered him held in pretrial detention, according to foreign media reports.