Japan asks Myanmar junta to release arrested journalist

The journalist was arrested at his home on Sunday night and is being detained at Yangon’s Insein Prison, where political prisoners are frequently held.

Japan’s government said Monday it is asking Myanmar to release a Japanese journalist who was arrested by security forces in its largest city of Yangon the previous day. Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters that his government is asking Myanmar authorities to explain the arrest and release him as soon as possible. He did not identify the detainee, but Japanese media said he is Yuki Kitazumi, a former Nikkei business newspaper reporter currently based in Yangon as a freelance journalist.