TOKYO, May 17. /TASS/. Over the past year, Japan has fully cancelled the financing of at least 15 scientific projects with Russia over the situation in Ukraine, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Wednesday.

One of the most significant projects in the list was a joint study aimed at tackling the bird flu. Within the framework of the project, launched in 2020, Russian scientists provided their Japanese colleagues with genetics data collected from Siberian migratory birds that are potential carriers of the infection. This information helped Japanese scientists to contain the virus on their country's country. Local specialists warn that the lack of relevant data from Russia may hamper Japan’s efforts to prevent the disease from spreading.

Also, the Japanese authorities have terminated a joint scientific project with the Moscow State University to study tsunamis and volcanic activity.

Besides, the government of Japan also stopped to finance at least two scientific projects related to the disaster-hit Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant. Since December 2021, Russian and Japanese scientists have been jointly analyzing the problem of nuclear meltdown at the facility in an attempt to find ways of safely extracting the melted reactor core.