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Russia-Japan dialogue to resume only if Tokyo reconsiders its anti-Russian course — MFA

The Japanese government has imposed several packages of sanctions against Russia after the start of the special military operation in Ukraine

MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko and Japanese Ambassador to Moscow Akira Muto discussed the state of Russian-Japanese relations. The Russian side emphasized that the resumption of interstate dialogue will be possible only if Tokyo really reconsiders its anti-Russian course, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"The issues concerning the current state of Russia-Japan relations were discussed. The Russian side reiterated that the way to the resumption of interstate dialogue will open only if confirmed by practical actions real revision of Tokyo's current anti-Russian course, conducted in solidarity with Western countries in connection with the situation around Ukraine," the ministry said.

The Japanese government has imposed several packages of sanctions against Russia after the start of the special military operation in Ukraine. According to Russian Ambassador to Japan Nikolay Nozdrev, Tokyo actually went for a complete severing of relations with one of its main neighbors, deciding that the costs would be less than the benefits of "opportunistically joining the anti-Russian campaign" launched by the West.

Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club plenary session on November 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia and Japan are natural partners because of their neighborhood, so Moscow will be happy if Tokyo returns to cooperation.

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