TOKYO, June 21. /TASS/. Tokyo will be guided by national interests, pursuing a strong policy towards Russia, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday.

"As for Japan-Russia relations, it’s necessary to continue to strongly respond to the Ukraine invasion. However, since Japan and Russia are neighbors, there are issues related to economic activities such as fishing. It’s necessary to react, while also thinking about what is in line with the national interests of our country," he pointed out at a press conference following a regular session of parliament.

"As for the Northern Territories (which is what Russia’s southern Kuril Islands are called in Japan - TASS), we stand firm in our position to make a peace treaty, resolving the territorial issue," Kishida added.

Tokyo introduced several packages of sanctions on Moscow after the launch of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced in March 2022 that Moscow was halting peace treaty talks with Tokyo. Russia also ended visa-free travel for Japanese citizens, which had been based on the 1991 agreements on visa-free exchanges between Russia’s southern Kuril Islands and Japan. In addition, Russia withdrew from dialogue on joint economic activities on the southern Kuril Islands and blocked the extension of Japan’s status as a sectoral dialogue partner of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.