The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, on Wednesday accused Japanese journalists of activities that are not compatible with journalistic work, and noted that dozens of journalists certified in Russia are not interested in covering Russian affairs.

The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, on Wednesday accused Japanese journalists of activities that are not compatible with journalistic work, and noted that dozens of journalists certified in Russia are not interested in covering Russian affairs.

Last week, the Russian authorities announced the arrest of Japanese journalist Yuki Imai on Sakhalin Island in the Far East of Russia, on charges of espionage. Japan denied the accusations, and Prime Minister Sana Takaichi confirmed that her country does not spy on Russia.

The crisis comes in light of a decades-long conflict between the two countries over a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, off the northeast coast of Japan and southwest of Sakhalin, in addition to the Japanese sanctions imposed on Russia due to its war in Ukraine.

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