The detainee has been identified as Tomoyuki Sugimoto. He was arrested earlier this month.

While North Korea did not explicitly say why he was arrested, they said he broke a law.

Japanese media speculated that Sugimoto may have been detained for filming a military facility.

Detention of tourists is common in North Korea, as the secretive country uses the detainees to strike a bargain with their home country.

Last year, a US detainee, Otto Warmbier, was released after 17 months in North Korean prison.

However, he died a few days after his release.

Image: Screengrab from YouTube