TOKYO (TR) – Prosecutors last week announced the non-indictment of a former Russian diplomat who was suspected of illegally obtaining trade secrets from Softbank Corp. last year, reports TBS News (July 2).
Investigative sources with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police suspect that Anton Kalinin, 52, belongs to a spy agency that originated with the KGB.
On February 18, 2019, Kalinin allegedly requested Yutaka Araki, then a senior official at Softbank, to use a corporate computer system to receive corporate secrets, such as the locations of base stations.
This past February 10, Kalinin left Japan on a flight from Narita International Airport without complying with a Tokyo Metropolitan Police request to undergo questioning.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor’s Office said in explaining the non-indictment: “We carefully evaluated that he has already left the country and there is no prospect of re-entry.”
Hundreds of thousands of yen
During questioning, Araki, 48, said that he also provided other confidential documents to Kalinin in March of last year. He is believed to have received hundreds of thousands of yen from Kalinin for his services.
Araki added that he suspected that Kalinin was a spy but went ahead with the scheme since he wanted money, police said previously.
Araki is on trial in the case. Prosecutors are seeking a two-year prison term and a fine of 1 million yen. The decision is expected to be handed down on Thursday.
Before his departure, Kalinin was deputy Russian trade representative in Japan. After he left, police referred him to prosecutors for violating the unfair competition prevention law.
