TOKYO, October 24. /TASS/. The Japanese government decided to appoint 63-year-old Akira Muto as the new ambassador to Russia at a government meeting, Kyodo news agency reported.

Muto is considered an expert on Russia and currently heads the Foreign Service Training Institute at the Japanese Foreign Ministry. He has been with the department for more than 38 years. During that time, Muto headed the Russian section of the Foreign Ministry's European Department, served as first secretary and then counselor at the Japanese Embassy in Russia, and was consul general in Los Angeles.

Toyohisa Kozuki has headed Japan's diplomatic mission in Moscow for the past eight years.

In response to a question from TASS, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said that Moscow will undoubtedly send an ambassador to Japan. In November, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed Mikhail Galuzin from his post as ambassador to Japan and appointed him Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister.