Japan’s government on Tuesday demanded an apology from Russian authorities for “coercively” detaining a Japanese consulate official, who was accused of espionage and ordered to leave Russia.
Tatsunori Motoki, a Japanese consul in Valdivostok, was detained on Sept. 22 and declared “persona non grata”—a term used for an unwelcome person—for allegedly engaging in spying, which Japan’s government has denied.
Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said the consulate official was physically restrained and had his eyes covered by the Russian authorities during his detention, Kyodo News reported.
Hayashi said the Russian authorities’ treatment of Motoki was “totally unacceptable” as there was no evidence that the consulate official had engaged in any illegal activity….