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Schedule of Russia-Japan talks unchanged, Tokyo eyes attendance at Paralympics opening

TOKYO, March 05. /ITAR-TASS/. The schedule of political dialogue between Russia and Japan remains unchanged, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said at a meeting of the budget committee of the upper house of the country’s parliament on Wednesday. He replied to a question about possible impact of the crisis in Ukraine on prospects of his visit to Moscow in April.

“At different levels, we are discussing Ukraine with the European Union and other concerned parties. Russian-Japanese relations remain unchanged,” the minister said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at the same parliamentary hearing that Tokyo officials may attend an opening ceremony of the Paralympics in the southern Russian city of Sochi.

“We consider sending a Japanese government delegation there [to the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games],” he said. “There are different international tendencies, but our basic position is that caution is needed when bringing politics into Olympic and Paralympic movements,” the Japanese prime minister said.

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