Japanese Naval Officer Arrested, Suspected of Spying for Russia

Police on Friday arrested a senior Japanese naval officer suspected of passing secrets to a Russian Embassy official--a move that comes just three days after Japan and Russia pledged to cooperate in regional security.

The 38-year-old officer, a researcher at Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies, is accused of handing over classified documents to a Russian military attache in Tokyo on several occasions, said Masatoshi Konomi, a spokesman for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police.

Japanese Defense Minister Kazua Torashima called the charge “inexcusable” and promised to launch an internal investigation.

Russia reacted testily, calling the allegations “provocative” and speculating that some in Japan were attempting to poison the warming relationship between Tokyo and Moscow.

Without citing sources, national broadcaster NHK said the leaked information included material related to the U.S. Navy, which maintains bases in Japan.

Metropolitan police and defense agency officials, however, refused to confirm the report, and representatives from the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo were unreachable Friday night.

The accused officer, Lt. Cmdr. Shigehiro Hagisaki of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, was arrested early Friday, Konomi said. Police raided Hagisaki’s home and workplace Friday morning in search of evidence.

Hagisaki was arrested shortly after being wined and dined by a Russian Embassy official at a Tokyo restaurant, Japanese media reports said.

Claiming diplomatic immunity, the Russian refused a request from investigators to go to a local police station for questioning, the reports said.

Japanese media identified the Russian as Victor Bogatenkov, 44. The police spokesman also would not say what Hagisaki, a Russian-language specialist, received in exchange for allegedly passing secrets.