Japan Uncovers Russian Spy Using Fake Ukrainian Identity to Steal Trade Secrets

A Russian intelligence officer allegedly operating under diplomatic cover in Japan has been accused of industrial espionage, according to NHK on February 1.

The suspect, who reportedly presented himself as a Ukrainian national, is believed to have collected confidential technical data from a Japanese company between 2024 and 2025.

The case involves a man in his 30s who previously worked at Russia’s trade representation in Japan. Tokyo police have submitted documents to prosecutors suspecting him of violating Japan’s Unfair Competition Prevention Act by obtaining trade secrets through deceptive means. He returned to Russia in March 2025.

Sources told NHK that the Russian operative first approached a machine tool company employee on a street in Kanagawa Prefecture in late 2024. Posing as a Ukrainian asking for directions, he later maintained contact with the Japanese worker for nearly two years.

The two reportedly met around ten times in restaurants and other public locations across the Kanto region, including Tokyo.

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During these meetings, the company employee is believed to have shared sensitive information related to new industrial developments, some of which were designated as trade secrets. In exchange, the Japanese national received several hundred thousand yen.

As of this week, case files for both individuals have been sent to prosecutors. The Japanese employee has since resigned from the company. During voluntary questioning, he told authorities he had grown suspicious of the Russian’s true identity but did not cut ties.

The suspect did not respond to a summons from Tokyo police earlier this month. Authorities believe he was affiliated with the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).

Earlier, Daily Mail reported that Jeffrey Epstein allegedly played a key role in a sexual blackmail network linked to Russian intelligence, citing sources in US and allied intelligence agencies. Epstein’s social circle was used to collect compromising material on Western elites, some of which was purportedly passed to Russian intelligence, with Ghislaine Maxwell identified as a central figure in the operation.

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