TOKYO: A Japanese national has been detained in Iran and must be swiftly released, the Japanese government said on Wednesday.
The person was detained on Jan 20, deputy chief cabinet secretary Masanao Ozaki told reporters. He gave no further details.
Radio Free Europe earlier reported that Shinnosuke Kawashima, the Tehran bureau chief of Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK, had been arrested by Iran and transferred to a Tehran prison.
NHK declined to confirm that an employee of theirs had been detained.
“As NHK, we always act with the safety of our staff as the top priority. There is nothing we can answer at this stage,” a spokesperson said.