Key facts
- Japan demanded the immediate release of a Japanese national detained in Russia's Sakhalin region.
- The meeting between Motegi and Lavrov occurred on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Atlanta.
- Russia detained a Japanese journalist in Sakhalin on suspicion of espionage this month.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday at a G20 meeting in Atlanta, demanding the release of a Japanese national detained in Russia's Sakhalin region. The meeting took place amid strained bilateral relations, exacerbated by Japan's participation in Western sanctions against Moscow over the war in Ukraine and a long-standing territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands.
According to a statement from Japan's embassy in Washington, Motegi also urged Russia to take positive steps toward achieving peace in Ukraine. Russia's Foreign Ministry stated that the brief discussion occurred at Japan's request, with Moscow emphasizing that Tokyo must abandon its "unfriendly policies" for dialogue to resume.