TOKYO, June 6. /TASS/. The Japanese government views Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks about conditions for resuming bilateral dialogue as "unfair and totally unacceptable," Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary General Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters.
"We believe that Russia is trying to shift responsibility on Japan, and this stance is unfair and totally unacceptable," he said, when asked to comment on the Russian leader’s words.
Hayashi once again criticized Russia’s actions in Ukraine and reaffirmed that the Japanese government’s stance on "resolving the problem of Northern Territories" - a term used by Japan to denote the southern Kuril Islands - and on signing a peace treaty with Russia "remains unchanged."
At a meeting with heads of international news agencies, organized by TASS, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was convinced that dialogue with Japan will be possible after Tokyo reviews its stance on Ukraine.
"At this point, the situation is not favorable for continuing the peace treaty dialogue between Russia and Japan. We do not rule out that it may be resumed, but only when proper conditions are created, first of all by the Japanese side," Putin said. He added that unlike Japan, Russia did nothing that would mar bilateral ties.
Moscow and Tokyo have been in negotiations on a peace treaty based on the outcome of World War II since the mid-20th century. The main obstacle to such an accord remains the disagreement over rights to the southern part of the Kuril Islands. After the war, the entire archipelago was incorporated into the Soviet Union, but Japan disputes the ownership of the islands of Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan, as well as several small uninhabited islands. The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stressed that Russia’s sovereignty over these islands is based on a firm legal foundation and is indisputable.
After the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, Tokyo imposed several packages of sanctions on Moscow. In this regard, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced in March 2022 that Moscow would stop negotiating a peace treaty with Tokyo. It was also decided to cancel visa-free travel privileges for Japanese citizens on the basis of the 1991 agreements on visa-free exchange between the southern Kuril Islands. In addition, the Russian side announced its withdrawal from the dialogue with Japan on the establishment of joint economic activities in the southern Kurils and blocked the extension of Japan’s status as a sectoral dialogue partner of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization.