2023年3月，俄罗斯逮捕《华尔街日报》记者埃文·格什科维奇，以虚假间谍罪名起诉，跨越了现代文明的一条红线。我们的同事在被关押16个月后获释，这是以德国释放一名被判刑的俄罗斯刺客为交换的。但现在弗拉基米尔·普京再次这么做，而这一次的目标是日本。
Russia crossed a modern red line in March 2023 when it arrested Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on phony charges of espionage. Our man was released after 16 months in a trade for Germany’s release of a convicted Russian assassin. But now Vladimir Putin is doing it again, and this time the target is Japan.
据报道，俄罗斯安全机构上周在库页岛逮捕了《北海道新闻》记者今井勇树，当时他据称正准备离境。该岛位于俄罗斯海岸外、日本以北，而北海道是日本最大的北方岛屿。
Russia’s security services last week arrested Yuki Imai, of the Hokkaido Shimbun, on Sakhalin Island, reportedly as he was preparing to leave the country. The island is off Russia’s coast north of Japan, and Hokkaido is Japan’s largest northern island.
俄罗斯安全警察指控今井先生报道了俄罗斯士兵在千岛群岛参加实弹轰炸演习。他们称他是为日本国家情报机关工作，报社和东京政府均予以否认。
Russian security police accused Mr. Imai of reporting on Russian soldiers taking part in live-fire bombing exercises over the Kuril Islands. They say he was working for Japan’s national intelligence service, which the newspaper and the Tokyo government deny.
8月，普京访问了这些岛屿，俄罗斯于1945年占领了它们，其合法主权归属为日本所争议。日本首相高市早苗批评了普京的访问——这是他首次访问这些岛屿。
In August Mr. Putin visited the islands, which Russia captured in 1945 and whose legitimate control is disputed by Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi criticized Mr. Putin’s visit—his first to the islands.