Japan: Foreign Minister Motegi Demands Release of Detained National in Meeting With Russia's Lavrov
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta on October 30 and strongly demanded the immediate release of a Japanese national detained in Russia's Sakhalin region, Reuters reported, in a rare high-level meeting between the two countries.
A statement from Japan's embassy in Washington said Motegi made a demarche and an argument regarding various current issues between Japan and Russia, adding: Regarding the detention of a Japanese national in Sakhalin Oblast, Minister Motegi strongly demanded the immediate release. Russia's Interfax news agency cited Russia's Foreign Ministry as saying a brief talk between Lavrov and Motegi was held at Japan's request.
Russia said this month it had detained a Japanese journalist in its far eastern Sakhalin region on suspicion of espionage, a case GSM reported in mid-October, marking a new low in bilateral relations strained by the war in Ukraine and a long-running territorial dispute.
Japan and Russia have yet to sign a formal World War Two peace treaty due to the dispute over the Kuril Islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories, and ties worsened further when Japan joined Western sanctions against Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 照片：俄罗斯萨哈林岛鄂霍次克海海岸，Vihljun 摄，Wikimedia Commons，公共领域 / Photo: Sakhalin coast, Russia, by Vihljun, Wikimedia Commons, public domain
- 2026-10-26G20 Foreign Ministers to Meet in Atlanta Oct. 30-31: Rubio to Host, With Quad Meeting on the Sidelines
- 2026-10-30Secretary Rubio Participates in G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting Session I in Atlanta
- 2026-10-30Rubio Meets Japanese and South Korean Foreign Ministers in Atlanta: Trilateral Arctic Pacific Partnership Memorandum Signed, Complete Denuclearization of North Korea Reaffirmed
- 2026-10-30Rubio Hosts G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting Welcome Reception in Atlanta: Leaders to Meet in Doral in a Few Weeks, Poland Joins as Full Participant
- 2026-10-31Japan: Foreign Minister Motegi Demands Release of Detained National in Meeting With Russia's LavrovThis story
- 2026-10-31Polish Foreign Minister Calls for Rapid Black Sea Ceasefire to Let Grain Shipments Move
- 2026-10-31G20 Foreign Ministers Scrap Family Photo as Many Refuse to Pose With Lavrov
- 2026-10-31Rubio Meets Indo-Pacific Quad Foreign Ministers in Atlanta, Preparing for Manila Leaders' Summit Next Month
- 2026-10-31Rubio and Brazil's Foreign Minister Agree to Meet Again After Election Tension
- 2026-10-31G20 Foreign Ministers Issue Chair's Statement: Energy Must Be Abundant and Affordable, and Food Supply Chains Must Not Be Weaponized
- 2026-10-31Quad Foreign Ministers Issue Joint Release: Over $85 Million to Support Trusted Super Intelligence Access Across the Indo-Pacific
- 2026-10-31Rubio Holds Press Availability in Atlanta to Close the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting: State Department Releases Full Video
- 2026-10-31Rubio Takes Questions: Trump Has Not Decided on Striking Iran, and Putin's Attendance at the Miami Summit Is Unconfirmed
- 2026-11-01Canada: Foreign Minister Anand Says Middle-Power Strategy Advances With Goal to Double Non-US Trade in a Decade
- 2026-11-01Brazil: Foreign Minister Vieira and US Secretary Rubio Agree to Meet Again in Coming Weeks After Election Tension
- 2026-11-01Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu at G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting: Protectionism Has No Winners
