Go to the media bankConsul of the Consulate General of Japan in Vladivostok Motoki Tatsunori at Vladivostok International Airport. File photoTOKYO, Sep 30 Japanese diplomat Motoki Tatsunori, previously detained by the FSB in Vladivostok for collecting classified information, left Russia on September 28, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi announced at a press conference in Tokyo.
"The diplomat left Russia on the 28th, but has not yet arrived in Japan. Due to the nature of the circumstances, I will refrain from giving details", he said.
The Minister again stated that Tatsunori was not engaged in the activities in which he was accused by the FSB, and also criticized the actions of the Russian side.
br>»Declaring this consular officer persona non grata is hard to believe. We have already protested to the Russian side and continue to insist that he be taken seriously,» the Foreign Minister added. Hayashi also said that Tokyo is considering retaliatory measures for the expulsion of his diplomat. At the same time, he refused to disclose the details of such a move. On September 26, the FSB announced the detention of the Japanese consul Motoka Tatsunori in Vladivostok for collecting classified information. The diplomat was caught red-handed while receiving, for a monetary reward, information of limited distribution about the current aspects of Russia’s cooperation with one of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, the impact of the Western sanctions policy on the economic situation in Primorsky Krai. The Japanese side was protested through diplomatic channels, and the consul himself was announced persona non grata. He was ordered to leave Russia within 48 hours. A source familiar with the situation told RIA Novosti earlier that the consul would head from Moscow to his homeland, first via Dubai. .jpg» />The Russian ambassador confirmed the call to the Japanese Foreign Ministry due to the detention of the consul