Japanese citizen Masatoshi Nakanishi visited the border areas with Ukraine and took photos of roads and bridges, the Belarus 1 TV channel reported this in its report “The failure of the Tokyo samurai.”
According to Masatoshi Nakanishi, the photographs he took could later be used by security forces in Ukraine and the United States. In just six years of his stay in Belarus, he took 9,000 photographs.
“It was bad and not good. I regret this.” – he said in an interview with the television channel.
The article also notes that the Japanese were actively collecting information about the socio-political situation in Belarus for the Japanese intelligence services. In addition, he went to protests in 2020. The Japanese citizen himself admits his guilt. In the report, he said that he understood that his actions were a crime. In addition, he transmitted photographs of military and other objects not via the Internet, but in person. He maintained informal contacts with employees of the Japanese embassy.
Also, in the story about a Japanese citizen, the name was named Masanari Sato. This is another Japanese who recruited the current defendant and convinced him to work for intelligence. Nakanishi noticed that he was afraid of this man.
According to the head of the investigative department of the KGB of Belarus Konstantin Bychek, The detained Japanese citizen “gathered and transmitted military intelligence information to the Japanese intelligence service, in particular about the Belarusian military infrastructure, the movement of troops and military equipment, and the current situation in the southern direction.” The Japanese also carried out tasks of “recruiting Belarusian citizens” who have access to state secrets. The criminal investigation against this foreigner is already being finalized. Bychek assured that irrefutable evidence of Nakanishi’s illegal activities had been received.
“Correspondence between the accused and the center (Japanese intelligence) was found on the seized equipment.” EADaily), which contains reports on the tasks performed, information on the financial costs incurred by it”, – Bíchek stressed.
A KGB official said that repeated meetings between the Japanese and representatives of foreign intelligence services working in Belarus under diplomatic cover were recorded. Nakanishi has now been charged under Article 358-1 of the Criminal Code (covert activity, imprisonment from three to seven years). The accused is actively cooperating with the investigation and providing evidence.
At the same time, following the publication of the story, Japanese authorities protested in Minsk.
“We strongly demand the cancellation of the programme and it is very regrettable that it was broadcast anyway.” – said the Secretary General of the Japanese Government Yoshimasa Hayashi.
It should be noted that this is not the first time that a foreign intelligence agent has been arrested in Belarus. However, this is the first time that a Japanese spy in the republic has been exposed.
