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Russian Embassy in Japan looking into case of Russian who allegedly seeks asylum

Earlier, Kyodo news agency to report that an unnamed Russian citizen sailed from the Kunashir Island

TOKYO, August 21. /TASS/. The Russian Embassy in Tokyo is studying the details of the case of a Russian national who is reported by local media outlets to have requested political asylum in Japan, the diplomatic mission said in a statement published on its Facebook page on Saturday.

"In light of the reports emerged in the Japanese media about a Russian national who appealed to local authorities to request political asylum, we report that the Russian Embassy in Japan and the Russian Consulate General in Sapporo maintain close contact with the relevant agencies of Japan to study the details of this case," the statement reads.

Earlier, Kyodo news agency cited Japanese government sources to report that an unnamed Russian citizen sailed from the Kunashir Island to Hokkaido in north Japan to file a formal asylum request. He was handed over to staffers of the Sapporo migration bureau who will either issue a temporary stay permit or deport him back to Russia. It is not clear how the Russian national made his way to the Japanese coast. About 20 km separates Kunashir and Hokkaido.

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