Belarusian state-run television has aired a special program about a Japanese national who was detained in July for allegedly gathering military information and other activities.
The TV station on Thursday broadcast the 15-minute program titled “The Failure of the Samurai from Tokyo,” describing Japan’s first alleged espionage case in Belarus.
The broadcaster reported about the detention of the Japanese man on the previous day. The Japanese government and other sources named the man as Nakanishi Masatoshi, who had worked as a Japanese language teacher.
The program said security officials are investigating the man on suspicion of collecting information on Belarusian military facilities for a Japanese intelligence agency.
Footage from the program showed Nakanishi apparently taking photographs. In another image, the man was seen walking with handcuffs.
The broadcast also showed Nakanishi saying in Russian that he went near the border with Ukraine and took many photos of the railway and the bridge.
But it is uncertain whether he spoke in his own words and how truthful the program contents were.