TOKYO, March 27. /TASS/. Japan’s government considers Russia’s position on failure to approve consultations on fishery near the Kuril Islands unacceptable, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a press conference on Monday.

"We consider the position of the Russian side unacceptable and we are exploring the possibilities to resume the activities under a respective agreement," he said. Tokyo also positively rates the agreement with Moscow reached on March 24 on terms of salmon and trout catch by Japanese fishers in Japan’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone, he added.

Russia and Japan engage in commercial fishing in 200-mile exclusive economic zones of each other on the basis of an agreement signed in 1984. The parties hold consultations annually to negotiate seafood quotas and discuss other matters.

The Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on January 29 that Moscow had informed Tokyo that it could not approve the consultations on fishery in Russia’s territorial waters due to anti-Russia restrictions. Moreover, Russia is totally against any "protests" by the Japanese side due to this decision, she noted.