Evidence

Multiple independent news outlets (Bloomberg, Jiji Press/Nippon.com, Meduza, Manila Bulletin, fnnews) reported on October 15, 2026 that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi publicly denied that Japan conducts espionage in Russia. This statement came in direct response to Russia's FSB detaining Hokkaido Shimbun journalist Yuki Imai in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin, on suspicion of espionage. Reuters/Yahoo News also separately reported Russia had earlier expelled a Japanese journalist over an espionage-related dispute. The quote attributed to Takaichi matches reporting across multiple reputable international and Japanese wire services (Jiji Press, Bloomberg) as well as Russian outlet Meduza, which independently corroborate that she made this exact denial to reporters at the prime minister's office, as reported by NHK.