Japan says second national detained in Iran, seeks early release

Japan said a second Japanese national is being detained in Iran and demanded the early release of both individuals.

The Foreign Ministry said the second person was detained before the Feb. 28 military strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel and is safe and in good health. It gave no further details.

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said officials were able to contact both detainees after the strikes and confirm their safety. “The government is doing everything to support them, their families and others involved,” he told a parliamentary panel, adding that he had pressed for their protection and early release in a meeting with Iran’s ambassador this week.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has identified the first detainee as Shinnosuke Kawashima, the Tehran bureau chief of Japanese public broadcaster NHK, and called for his immediate release.