TOKYO, September 22. /TASS/. Japan’s anti-Russian rhetoric on the situation around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and alleged warnings by Moscow to use nuclear weapons is puzzling, Russian Ambassador to Tokyo Mikhail Galuzin said in a statement on Thursday.
"We’d like to reiterate that Russia’s position of principle is that a nuclear war is inadmissible. And it was this country who initiated on January 3 the adoption of a joint statement by the leaders of the five nuclear-weapon states on preventing a nuclear war and avoiding an arms race," the diplomat said.
According to Galuzin, he was surprised "to hear 'nuclear’ accusations from Japan, which is known for relying on none other than the US nuclear 'umbrella’ in its security policy while constantly making sure it is safe and reliable enough." The Russian envoy also said "the anti-Russian rhetoric in Japan over the complicated situation around the Zaporozhye nuclear plant which has been the target of massive Ukrainian attacks evokes bewilderment."
At a news conference in Tokyo earlier on Thursday, Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, expressed his concerns over the potential use of nukes in Ukraine. He also laid the blame for the situation around the Zaporozhye power plant on Russia.
The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, located in the city of Energodar, is controlled by Russian troops. A delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency led by the agency’s Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi traveled to the plant in early September. It left two observers at the facility, then published a report calling for the establishment of a safety zone around the plant to prevent accidents that could arise due to the hostilities.