Japan faces diplomatic dilemma amid joint pressure from nuclear neighbors

As the Ukraine war grinds on, ties between Russia and neighboring Japan are at their worst in decades. Tokyo wants more support from Washington, but some Japanese are concerned they may not get it. Transcript AILSA CHANG, HOST: And now to Russia's war in Ukraine. This war has raised tensions not only in Europe but also in Asia. Ties between Russia and neighboring Japan are at their worst in decades. Tokyo would like more support from Washington, but as NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports, some Japanese people are concerned they may not get it.ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: In a video released by Russia's federal security bureau, FSB agents charge into a hotel room on Sakhalin Island in Russia's Far East on October 13.(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)UNIDENTIFIED FSB AGENT: (Non-English language spoken).YUKI IMAI: (Non-English language spoken).KUHN: The agents pin Japanese journalist Yuki Imai to the ground and handcuff him. They question him and take him to Moscow to face trial on charges of espionage. Japan's government denies the charges. The FSB says Imai was reporting on soldiers from Russia's Far East who were deployed to Ukraine. Shinji Hyodo, a Russia expert at the National Institute for Defe...