MOSCOW, March 29. /TASS/. Russian Ambassador to Japan Nikolay Nozdrev can see no prospects for improvement in the bilateral relationship between Moscow and Tokyo any time soon, with military activity by Japan and its NATO allies being observed near Russia’s borders.
"The negative situation persists overall, and, to be honest, no prospects for the situation improving soon can be seen," the Russian diplomat told Rossiya-24 television, commenting on the Russia-Japan relationship.
According to him, Russia has reported "a substantial increase in military activity," involving Japan, the United States and other NATO member countries, near Russia’s Far Eastern border.
"The agreements actually reached through political effort, including by numerous prominent Japanese politicians, are being dismantled," Nozdrev lamented. "And the general toxicity around everything Russian here in Japan is still being ramped up," he added.
Earlier, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a news briefing that the Japanese authorities have been systematically stripping away what still remains of bilateral relations with Russia.