MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/. Consular access to the Japanese journalist detained in Russia for espionage was granted last Monday in full compliance with the regulations established for such cases, and three high-ranking employees of the Japanese embassy in Moscow visited him, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
"Regarding the access of diplomats, there are regulations and procedures for such access, because appropriate quarantine measures are carried out first," she said. "This is not our know-how. In other countries too. Everyone has their own details, but it's almost everywhere."
She said that the Japanese diplomats gained access to their compatriot, who posed as an employee of the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper, immediately, "as soon as the relevant procedures were carried out in accordance with the aforementioned regulations within the established time frame."
Their meeting with the detainee in the Lefortovo detention center took place on October 26, she said, adding that the diplomat were the envoy adviser, the adviser and the head of the consular department.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) detained the Japanese "journalist" on October 15 and charged him with violation of Article 276 of the criminal code with the qualification of espionage.
"Investigative measures are being carried out by the FSB of the Russian Federation in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation," Zakharova said.