MOSCOW, July 29. /TASS/. Most Japanese politicians are against the idea of developing relations with Russia, having aligned themselves with the West’s unfriendly actions, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.
"Today, the majority of Japanese politicians do not support the development of relations with Russia. Regrettably, Japan’s current leadership has completely sided with the collective West’s unfriendly actions and this cannot but harm our bilateral relations," he said, commenting on the Japanese government’s call on the country’s nationals to refrain from trips to Russia on the heels of Japanese lawmaker Muneo Suzuki’s visit to Russia.
"Regrettably, Japan’s leaders aren’t stopping at taking this position on relations with Russia, instead seeking to exert pressure on those who have a different point of view and want to find ways to develop communication," Peskov said.
Muneo Suzuki, a member of the Japanese parliament’s upper house, is currently visiting Russia. He arrived on July 28 and plans to go back home on August 1. According to his office, the Japanese lawmaker plans to meet with officials from the Russian foreign ministry and federal fishery authority to ask the Russian side to allow seaweed harvesting near the Signalny Island and let former Japanese residents of the Southern Kurils visit their ancestors’ graves.