TOKYO, September 27. /TASS/. Tokyo’s reaction to the detention of the Japanese consul in Vladivostok and its demands that Russia should apologize for that are unjustified, since the Japanese diplomat violated both Russian laws and the Vienna Convention, Russian Ambassador to Tokyo Mikhail Galuzin told journalists on Tuesday, adding that it is rather Moscow who has reason to demand apologies from Tokyo.
"The Japanese diplomat was acting in violation of his authority, and disobeyed our laws and the Vienna Convention. It is rather the Russian side who has every reason to protest, as expressed yesterday. And it has cause to demand apologies for such behavior of the Japanese diplomat and demand that such actions by Japanese diplomats in Russia be prevented in the future," he said.
He confirmed that he had been summoned to the Japanese foreign ministry following the detention of the Japanese diplomat. "First Deputy Foreign Minister [of Japan Takeo] Mori expressed the Japanese side’s position <…>, I responded in line with our position. I said what had really happened and reiterated our position, which had been conveyed to the Japanese side by the Russian foreign ministry yesterday," he said.
Commenting on the criticism of the actions of Russian law enforcers, who detained the Japanese diplomat, Galuzin stressed that they "acted in strict compliance with Russian laws." "That is why I don’t think that Japan’s claims can be considered grounded and convincing," he added.
When asked about Tokyo’s possible response, the Russian diplomat noted that in the current situation, "when the collective West is seeking to exert heavy pressure on Russia and force it to change its policy," the diplomatic service "is working in the regime of readiness for any emergency situations," which "can be said about this matter as well."
Detention of Japanese Consul
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said on September 26 that a Japanese diplomat was caught red-handed while procuring classified information, for pay, about current aspects of Russia’s cooperation with an Asia-Pacific country, influenced by the West’s sanction policy on the economic situation in the Maritime territory.
Later, the Russian foreign ministry summoned the Japanese embassy’s minister counsellor to express a stern warning and hand over a corresponding note. The detained Japanese diplomat, Motoki Tatsunori, was declared persona non grata and was given 48 hours to leave the territory of Russia.
The Japanese side, however, insists that the man had done nothing illegal. It expressed protest and demanded apologies.