From the Liveblog of
Friday, March 6, 2026
Tokyo says Japanese citizen being held in Iran, demands immediate release
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleTokyo says that a second Japanese national is being held in Iran, and calls for their immediate release.
Japan had previously said that one Japanese citizen was arrested on January 20.
The identity of the second Japanese person held and the date and reason for their arrest is unclear.
A spokeswoman for the Japanese foreign ministry tells AFP — without naming either person — that embassy staff have been in contact with the two people and to “confirm their safety”.
“We can’t comment further details about these people, including one who was arrested by the Iranian authorities on January 20 in Tehran, from the viewpoint of privacy,” she says.
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Radio Farda and the Committee to Protect Journalists, one of those arrested is the Tehran bureau chief of Japanese public broadcaster NHK, Shinnosuke Kawashima.
Kawashima was arrested on January 20 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and held at a detention facility in northern Tehran, the CPJ said on February 26, citing a source who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
The CPJ and Radio Free Europe both reported that Kawashima was transferred to the notorious Evin Prison on February 23.
The Times of Israel Community.