Photo/Illutration A Line exhange aired on a Belarusian state-owned TV channel as evidence of spying. The topic of the message on the left appears to be an exchange about corporate expansion. Translated into Russian on the right, the message is called a report to his “superior” about “U.S. attacks.” (From footage aired on a Belarusian state-owned TV channel)

A Belarusian state-owned TV station on Sept. 5 aired a special program about the supposed crimes committed by a Japanese man, but the sloppiness of the production has raised doubts about his guilt.

The program said Masatoshi Nakanishi was detained by local authorities for engaging in espionage activities at the direction of Japan’s National Public Safety Commission.

As “evidence,” the program, titled “Failure of a Samurai from Tokyo,” cited online messages written in Japanese. However, the Russian translation of the Japanese posts was sloppy, erroneous and misleading.

According to the program, Nakanishi moved to Gomel in southeastern Belarus in 2018.

He made frequent trips to an area near the border with Ukraine to take photos of railroads and bridges and gather military intelligence, the program said.

Belarus is a close ally of Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

The State Security Committee of Belarus detained Nakanishi in July just before he was about to leave the country, the report said.

In a video shown on the program, Nakanishi appeared in handcuffs at a train station.

He was seen explaining, “I was going to give the photos to Japan’s National Public Safety Commission.”

He also said, “This is a crime.”

However, the program did not present any clear evidence of espionage.

The program showed a message from the Line communication app that appeared to be Nakanishi’s reply to a company’s inquiry about the local situation.

In Japanese, Nakanishi wrote, “The reality is that it is quite difficult to expand into Belarus.”

However, in the Russian translation, the program described Nakanishi’s message as “an exchange with a spy supervisor.”

The content was even changed to: “The recent attacks appear to have been faked by the United States. If the same thing happens, I will let you know immediately.”

The program also showed secretly filmed footage of Nakanishi taking pictures in a park and at a train station. But many of the images showed other people as well.

According to the Japanese Embassy in Belarus, Nakanishi was detained on July 9 on suspicion of violating domestic laws.

A Japanese government official said Nakanishi reportedly worked as a Japanese language teacher at a national university in Gomel.

In the trailer for the Sept. 5 special program, a man introduced himself as “Masatoshi Nakanishi” and said in fluent Russian, “My actions may be dangerous for Belarus.”

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a news conference on Sept. 5: “A man in his 50s was detained (in Belarus) on July 9 for violating domestic laws. We are conducting consular visits and providing as much support as possible.

“No particular problems with his health have arisen.”

Related News