TOKYO (TR) – In 1997, Japanese authorities investigated a Russian man of Asian descent who was suspected of carrying out intelligence gathering activities domestically for over 30 years.
The little known case is a tale of espionage, love, hidden microfilm and delayed prosecution, according to Sankei Shimbun (Nov. 9).
The Russian spy began his covert operation by taking over the identity of a man from Fukushima Prefecture who had disappeared around 1965. The spy was said to have been a member of Russia’s SVR (Foreign Intelligence Service, formerly the KGB).
The spy was employed by a trading company in Tokyo the following year under the Fukushima man’s name. He is believed to have traveled domestically and internationally under the pretense of going on business trips overseas. In doing so, he gathered political, economic and military intelligence.
At some point, the spy married a Japanese woman who was unaware of his background. On the surface, he lived the life of a Japanese trading company employee.
In July 1997, the Public Security Bureau of Tokyo Metropolitan Police raided his apartment in Nerima Ward. During the search, his activities of espionage were uncovered.
Based on the obtained information, the spy received Morse code signals at the home using a high-performance shortwave radio, which he translated into written instructions.
“Dead drop contact”
As a means of security, he placed hairs on windows and desk drawers before he left the residence. If hairs were cut or fell out, it would be a sign that the door had been opened while he was away.
The information was distributed using a method known as “dead drop contact,” whereby microfilm was hidden in places unlikely to experience changes, such as shrines, temples and cemeteries. After an agency staffer retrieved the microfilm, they ensured that the particular location was not used a second time.
By the time Public Security Bureau issued an international arrest warrant for the spy for entering and leaving the country on a false passport, he had fled to Beijing. He never returned to Japan.
In 2020, the Public Security Bureau sent the spy, without revealing his name, to the prosecutor’s office on suspicion of violating the Passport Act and other charges.
