In a development announced Tuesday by Japanese officials, a Japanese national who had been held in Iranian custody since January has been released, marking the second such release of a Japanese citizen by Iran in as many months. Multiple Japanese media outlets, including Kyodo News, have identified the released individual as the Tehran bureau chief for Japan’s national public broadcaster NHK, though the network has not yet issued an official confirmation.
Japanese government spokesperson Minoru Kihara shared detailed information on the release with reporters, confirming that Japanese diplomatic representatives in Iran verified the detainee’s release, which took place on April 6 local time. “The Japanese embassy in Iran has confirmed that a Japanese national who was detained by Iranian authorities on January 20 was released on April 6 local time,” Kihara stated. Following the release, Kihara added, Japan’s ambassador to Iran met directly with the freed citizen and confirmed that they are in good health.
The case dates back to late January, when Iranian authorities first took the Japanese national into custody. Initial media reports at the time suggested the detainee had been transferred to a notorious Tehran prison that commonly holds political detainees. Japanese officials confirmed the detention shortly after it occurred but declined to share any additional details on the case or the identity of the detainee, and NHK also declined to comment on the situation at the time.
This release comes just one month after the Japanese government confirmed that a second Japanese national being held in Iran had been released. At the time of that previous release, officials also did not share extensive details on the circumstances of the detention or the subsequent release, leaving unanswered questions about the nature of both detentions and the diplomatic process that led to the citizens being freed.