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Russian ambassador to Tokyo protests expulsion of diplomat

It was noted that Tokyo’s decision to declare a Russian diplomat persona non grata could only "further deteriorate bilateral relations, which have already deteriorated as a result of Tokyo’s destructive policy"

TOKYO, October 4. /TASS/. Russian Ambassador to Tokyo Mikhail Galuzin is protesting Japan’s decision to declare a consul from the Russian consulate in Sapporo persona non grata, the Russian Embassy said in a statement on Telegram on Tuesday.

According to the embassy, at a meeting with Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori, Galuzin pointed to Japan’s "baseless attempts to link the move to Russia’s recent decision to expel a consul from the Japanese consulate in Vladivostok" because the Japanese diplomat was caught red-handed when trying to get classified information in exchange for money. "As for the Russian diplomat, he did not engage in activities violating his authority," the statement added.

The embassy pointed out that Tokyo’s decision to declare a Russian diplomat persona non grata could only "further deteriorate bilateral relations, which have already deteriorated as a result of Tokyo’s destructive policy."

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi earlier announced a decision to expel a Russian consul. According to him, it came in response to Russia’s move to detain Motoki Tatsunori, a consul at the Japanese consulate in Vladivostok, and expel him from the country. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) reported earlier that the Japanese diplomat had been detained when receiving restricted information in exchange for money.

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