Russia arrested a Japanese journalist. Perhaps Vladimir Putin believes in a prisoner exchange -. The Economist. Yuki Imai spent years learning to read Russian literature in the original. During a student exchange program in St. Petersburg in 2014–2015, this little Japanese young man impressed Russian friends with his knowledge of their city and its literary legends like Fyodor Dostoevsky. Thanks to his knowledge of Russian, Imai got a job as the Russia correspondent for the Hokkaido Shimbun, a regional newspaper published on Japan's northernmost large island. Imai is currently being held in Portovo and is suspected of espionage. The journalist's arrest on espionage charges "probably means that Russia is trying to bring someone home," said journalist Evan Gershkovich, author of "This Damn Beautiful Country," a book about his personal experiences and Russian hostage diplomacy. In Russia, such detainees are called "assets" within the so-called "exchange fund". What kind of exchange might Moscow need? Russia may be hoping that Japan - or its ally the United States - can help push for a multilateral agreement. The current matter may be a Russian hacker from Killeen, a cybercrime group associated with major ransomware attacks. He was arrested while on vacation in Japan and extradited to Germany less than two weeks before Imai's arrest. Russia may also have goals in other parts of Asia. At least three people have been arrested in Australia over the past two years on charges of collaborating with Russian intelligence. Russia may also see Japanese citizens as fungible assets. As part of a prisoner exchange last year, American negotiators released two Japanese citizens from a Belarusian prison.