Japanese Intelligence Agent Sentenced in Belarus

A Japanese man, Masatoshi Nakanishi, was sentenced to seven years in prison by a Belarusian court on charges of espionage for Japan's intelligence service. The court dismissed the Japanese Embassy's request to attend the trial. Nakanishi was labeled a political prisoner by a human rights group.

A Belarusian court has sentenced Japanese national Masatoshi Nakanishi to seven years in prison for espionage activities. Nakanishi, arrested in July, was found guilty of capturing images of military and civilian installations for Japan, actions deemed harmful to Belarus' national security.

The Minsk City Court conducted the trial behind closed doors, refusing entry to representatives from the Japanese Embassy. Nakanishi was ordered to pay a fine equivalent to USD 6,700. The Viasna Human Rights Centre has since labeled him a political prisoner, noting that Belarus presently holds over 1,200 political prisoners, including 36 from abroad.

According to state-controlled media, Nakanishi had resided in Gomel, Belarus since 2018 and was teaching Japanese at a local university. His alleged activities included photographing military infrastructures near the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. This case adds another dimension to the contentious geopolitical relations influenced by Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko's policies.

(With inputs from agencies.)