Japanese man arrested in Belarus for spying near Ukraine border

A Japanese national, Masatoshi Nakanishi, was apprehended in Belarus in July for allegedly acting as an agent for Japan's special services. He is accused of photographing various military and civilian infrastructures, including airfields and railway lines, in the vicinity of the Belarus-Ukraine border. Nakanishi had been residing in Gomel, Belarus' second-largest city, since 2018, where he worked as a Japanese language instructor at a local university. The Belarusian state media reported that Nakanishi took approximately 9,000 photographs of strategic locations, raising concerns about espionage amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Belarus has been a crucial base for Russian military operations, although it has not deployed its own troops into Ukraine. The situation has heightened tensions in the region, with international scrutiny on Belarus' actions. Following the arrest, Nakanishi appeared on state television, reportedly confessing to the charges and indicating the locations he had documented. However, such televised confessions in Belarus are often viewed with skepticism, as they may be coerced under duress. This has raised alarms regarding the treatment of detainees and human rights violations in the country. In response to the incident, Japan's government expressed its concerns to Belarus' foreign ministry, emphasizing the need for the protection of Nakanishi's human rights. The case has drawn attention to the delicate balance of international relations in Eastern Europe, particularly in light of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the role of Belarus as a strategic ally to Russia.