Japanese citizen Nakanishi Masatoshi was sentenced in Minsk to seven years in a high-security colony and a fine of 21 thousand Belarusian rubles (537 thousand Russian rubles) for «espionage activities» on the territory of Belarus from 2018 to 2024, reported the human rights center «Viasna». This is the maximum term for such an accusation. The trial was held in closed session.
Masatoshi was detained in July 2024, but information about this appeared only three months later, when the state television channel «Belarus 1» reported the detention of a «Japanese intelligence officer».
According to law enforcement, he transferred information to Japanese intelligence about the socio-political situation in Belarus, the implementation of the «One Belt — One Road» initiative, as well as the situation on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border.
Masatoshi taught Japanese at Gomel State University named after Francysk Skaryna and was married to a Belarusian citizen.
In December 2024, it became known about the detention of another Japanese citizen in Belarus — the author of the travel blog «Eteru», who traveled around the world and reported on transport and infrastructure in different countries. He was detained while filming an overpass in the Gomel region.
According to the Belarusian service of «Radio Liberty»*, since 2020, at least 75 foreigners have been subjected to political repression in Belarus, including at least 13 Ukrainian citizens, eight Russians, four Polish citizens, four Latvian citizens, as well as one citizen each from Lithuania, Estonia, the USA, Japan, and Sweden.
* Recognized in Russia as a «foreign agent» and «undesirable» organization.