Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Sunday that one of two Japanese nationals detained in Iran has been released and has returned to Japan, while efforts continue to secure the freedom of the second detainee.
Speaking on a Fuji Television talk show, Motegi revealed that the individual, who had been in Iranian custody since last year, was released on Wednesday. The person departed Iran via Azerbaijan and was scheduled to arrive in Japan on Sunday.
Japanese media outlets, including Kyodo News, later reported that the former detainee had successfully returned home.
Motegi said another Japanese national who was arrested earlier this year remains in Iranian custody. He added that the release followed repeated requests he made to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and that diplomatic efforts are ongoing to secure the release of the remaining detainee.
“I am working to win an early release,” Motegi said, noting that Japanese authorities are in close communication with the detainee’s family and other relevant parties.
The Committee to Protect Journalists previously identified the person detained in January as a journalist working for Japan’s public broadcaster NHK. According to the organization, the journalist was arrested on January 20 by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and later transferred to Tehran’s Evin Prison on February 23, citing unnamed sources concerned about possible retaliation.
Motegi did not confirm the identities of either detainee but stated that the individual recently released had been detained in 2025.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry had earlier said both detainees were safe and in good health. Officials acknowledged that one person had been detained last year while the second arrest occurred in January, though the ministry did not disclose additional details or confirm whether the two cases were connected.