Hokkaido Shimbun is a regional Japanese daily. It is in the news after reporting a Russian arrest of a Japanese journalist tied to Sakhalin tensions; the paper has long covered cross-border issues and regional affairs from Hokkaido.
The FSB has arrested a Japanese journalist identified as Yuki Imai from Hokkaido Shimbun on suspicion of gathering information on Russia’s defence for Japanese intelligence. He was detained in Sakhalin before being flown to Moscow, where a court has ordered pre-trial detention. The arrest follows a surge in Moscow-Tokyo tensions over the Kuril Islands.