Japanese national detained in Iran last year has been released, Japan’s foreign minister says

Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi says one of two Japanese nationals detained in Iran has been released and will be returning to Japan.

Motegi, speaking on a Fuji Television talk show, says the person had been detained since last year and was released on Wednesday. He says the person took a flight from Azerbaijan which was scheduled to arrive in Japan today.

Motegi says another Japanese national who was arrested earlier this year is still in custody.

Motegi says the release came after his repeated demands to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and that he is “working to win an early release” of the other detainee while communicating with his family and other concerned parties.

The release occurred amid the US-Israeli war with Iran. US President Donald Trump has called on Japan and other allies to do more to support the US during its fight against the Islamic Republic.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has named the person detained in Iran in January as a journalist at Japan’s public broadcaster NHK. The CPJ says the NHK journalist was arrested January 20 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and was transferred February 23 to Evin Prison, quoting unidentified sources citing fear of persecution.

Motegi does not identify either of the people detained and says the released Japanese national was detained in 2025.

The Foreign Ministry said earlier this month the detainees were safe and in good health, but only acknowledged that one was detained last year and the other one in January.

The ministry gave no further details, such as whether the two cases were related.