Belarus Continues Japan-Bashing after Detaining Japanese Man

   Tokyo, Sept. 10 (Jiji Press)--Belarus, a Russian ally, has been criticizing Japan in an apparent move to justify its detention of a Japanese national living in the East European country on espionage charges.
   The detention of Masatoshi Nakanishi, a resident in the southeastern region of Gomel, by local authorities was unveiled Wednesday by a trailer for the Belarusian state-run broadcaster's program about suspected Japanese spy activities set to be aired the following day.
   The Japanese government asked via a diplomatic channel that the program not be broadcast, but the request was ignored.
   On Friday, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry summoned the Japanese ambassador and denounced alleged Japanese espionage activities in the former Soviet state. The ministry also reacted harshly to Tokyo's protest against the program.
   Belarus has since been persistently bashing Japan, designated as an unfriendly nation by Russia.

(2024/09/10-21:01)

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