https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/30405409/

[Breaking News] Japanese employee indicted for allegedly passing classified information to a Russian "spy" in Japan; contacted the man while pretending to ask for directions, then became intimate

On the 20th, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Public Security Bureau referred a former employee of the Russian Trade Representative Office in Japan and a Japanese male employee to prosecutors for allegedly illegally obtaining confidential information from an affiliate of a domestic machine tool manufacturer. The Russian man is believed to be a spy for an intelligence agency and has already left the country.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Public Security Bureau has referred two suspects to prosecutors on suspicion of violating the Unfair Competition Prevention Act: a Russian man in his 30s who is a former employee of the Russian Trade Representation in Japan, and a Japanese male employee in his 30s who works for an affiliate of a domestic machine tool manufacturer.

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Public Security Bureau, the Russian man is suspected of conspiring with the male employee to illegally obtain confidential information, including development information on new products from the company where the male employee works, in November 2024 and February 2025.

According to investigators, the Russian man, who is fluent in Japanese, contacted the male employee around spring 2023, concealing his identity and asking him to show him the way. He then met with the employee at least 10 times, about once a month, at restaurants and other establishments in the Tokyo metropolitan area, saying things like, "I want to thank you, so let's meet again next time."

The two gradually grew closer and subsequently verbally shared information, including confidential company information, with the male employee believed to have received a total of around 700,000 yen in return.

The two did not exchange contact information and instead decided on a date and place to meet each time, which is believed to have been to prevent their espionage activities from being discovered.

The incident came to light when the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Public Security Bureau became aware of suspicious activity by a U.S. Trade Representative employee, which they suspected was espionage. The police have previously requested the Russian man suspected of being a spy to appear, but he has already returned to Japan without responding.