A Japanese freelance journalist detained by security forces in Myanmar's largest city Yangon has been investigated for allegedly spreading fake news, the Japanese Embassy in Myanmar said Monday.
Yuki Kitazumi, a former reporter for the Tokyo-based Nikkei business daily who now lives in Yangon, was detained by security forces in Yangon on Sunday, local media reported. The embassy said earlier Monday that Kitazumi was transferred to prison.
Kitazumi's reports on protests against the Feb. 1 coup in Myanmar have been carried by Japanese media and he has also posted about the situation in the country on social media, which could be regarded as information disadvantaging the ruling military and "fake news."