Vladivostok Novosti Company
January 17, 2008

Japanese official faces charges for selling secrets to Russia

Combined reports

Japanese police have pressed charges against an official in the intelligence office who allegedly divulged classified information to a Russian diplomat in Tokyo, Japanese reports said Wednesday.

Investigators have decided to send papers to prosecutors on a 52-year-old official at the Cabinet Information Research Office who, as they suspect, passed information related to Japanese political situations to an official of a Russian Embassy, the Kyodo news agency reported.

The official was working at the Cabinet Information Research Office which is responsible for collecting and analyzing information on government policy. Investigators presume that the official gave documents to the Russian official at meetings in Tokyo restaurants, the reports said. The leaked information does not appear to include defense secrets, they said citing Tokyo police department.

According to investigators, the official exchanged the information for a financial reward. Police also plan to forward to the prosecutors their case against the Russian Embassy official who, they believe, may belong to a Russian intelligence organization.

The press attaché of the Russian Embassy to Japan Sergei Yasenev, commenting on the case said that, "such information may be an attempt to break positive developments in the two-side relations and the appearance of such reports causes our regret and perplexity,” Ria Novosti news agency cited him as saying.

A territorial dispute over the four Kuril Islands, seized by Russia in the closing days of World War II, has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty ever since.
Other materials of this Issue:
Energy investments to power Primorye
Two families make migration program in Far East
Khabarovsk election committee awarded mocking medal
Two sailors missing in stormy waters
Sakhalin policeman gunned down in office
Shooting spree in Vladivostok
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