A woman waves an Iranian flag during a campaign in support of the government at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, square in downtown Tehran, Iran, on Mar 30, 2026. (File photo: AP/Vahid Salemi)

Tokyo confirms Japanese national held by Iran freed

It was the second release after the Japanese government announced last month that another citizen had been freed by Iran.

07 Apr 2026, 02:04 · CNA · Join

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TOKYO: Iran freed a Japanese national held since January, Tokyo said on Tuesday (Apr 7), with Kyodo News reporting that the person was believed to be the Tehran bureau chief of broadcaster NHK.

It was the second release after the Japanese government announced last month that another Japanese national was freed by Iran.

"The Japanese embassy in Iran has confirmed that a Japanese national who was detained by Iranian authorities on Jan 20 was released on Apr 6 local time," government spokesman Minoru Kihara said.

"The ambassador in Iran directly met that person after release and confirmed they were in good health," Kihara told reporters.

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Contacted by AFP, NHK was not immediately available to confirm the report.

Media reports had said earlier that the NHK bureau chief arrested on Jan 20 was sent to a prison known for holding political detainees.

A Japanese government spokesperson at the time told reporters that a Japanese citizen had been detained on that date but declined to give more details.

NHK had also declined to comment.

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