Former Russian Trade Staffer Accused of Espionage; Allegedly Received Confidential Information From Machinery Firm Staffer

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:35 JST, January 20, 2026

Two men — a former employee of a precision machinery manufacturer and a former staffer of the Trade Representation of the Russian Federation in Japan — were referred to prosecutors Tuesday on suspicion of disclosing trade secrets.

Both in their 30s, the men were referred to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Public Security Bureau.

The bureau views this as a spy case targeting the manufacturer’s advanced technology. It has asked the Russian Embassy in Japan, via Japan’s Foreign Ministry, to have the former trade representation staffer appear for questioning.

According to investigative sources, the former company employee is suspected of passing development information for new products — classified as trade secrets of the company — to the former trade representation staffer in November 2024 and February last year while employed at the company, with the intent of gaining improper profits.

Shortly after arriving in Japan in April 2023, the former trade representation staffer approached the former company employee on the street asking for directions. Claiming he wanted to “show his gratitude later,” he invited the former company employee to dinner. They subsequently met for meals over a dozen times at places including yakiniku restaurants and family restaurants.

The former company employee allegedly handed over internal training materials and product manuals during these meals, at the staffer’s request. He is believed to have received about ¥700,000 in cash in return.

The former trade representative staffer is said to have concealed his affiliation and introduced himself as a Ukrainian. He allegedly requested publicly available materials at first such as company brochures, and then later reportedly began demanding highly confidential documents as their relationship deepened, sources said.

Some of the advanced technologies held by the company have potential military uses. The bureau believes the former trade representative staffer deliberately approached the former company employee to obtain such technology.