MOSCOW, March 27. /TASS/. The Japanese authorities have been systematically disposing of what is still left of bilateral relations with Russia, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has told a news briefing.

"No one is even surprised by Tokyo’s behavior. Japan is systematically disposing of what is still left of bilateral ties," she said, commenting on Tokyo's decision not to congratulate Russian President Vladimir Putin on his election victory.

Zakharova also pointed out that the Japanese side tried to use the Russian election to press for its illegitimate claim to the Southern Kurils.

"Our country's sovereignty over this territory as a result of World War II is an absolutely irrefutable and irreversible, objective historical fact. There are no questions about this and there cannot be any. The subject is closed forever," she pointed out.

"We hope that the Japanese people will have enough wisdom to realize how harmful Tokyo’s Russophobic policy is for the national interests, and to get back to the principles of good-neighborliness, mutually beneficial cooperation, respect and mutual benefit while the time for this has not been lost completely," she stressed.