TOKYO, November 12. /TASS/. The Japanese government must make decisions on relations with Russia independently, free from US influence, Nobuyuki Fukushima, a non-factional member of the lower house of the Japanese parliament, told reporters, answering a question from TASS.
"I believe that Japan has lost its independence compared to what it was 10-20 years ago, as now it does essentially whatever the United States tells it. The United States and Japan have completely different geographical and historical relations with Russia, so I believe that Japan needs to develop a more independent foreign policy towards Russia," he said after a ceremony where the Russian Foreign Ministry presented a badge "For Cooperation" to the leader of the Issukai socio-political organization Mitsuhiro Kimura.
He said that, for example, when Shinzo Abe was prime minister, Japan did not follow America’s sanctions policy against Russia to a tee. "Since then, I believe Japan has completely lost its independence, and it needs to decide on the resumption of relations with Russia itself," Fukushima said.
Speaking about the sanctions imposed by Tokyo against Moscow, the deputy said that "a pretext is needed to lift them. Therefore, I believe a dialogue at the leadership level is needed. Relations will not reach the same level as they were between Abe and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. But if there is not a certain level of trust, there will be no excuse to ease [sanctions and tensions]," he said, suggesting it’s imperative that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi talk with Putin.
After the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, the Japanese government imposed several packages of sanctions against Russia. According to Russian ambassador to Japan Nikolay Nozdryov, Tokyo had completely destroyed relations with one of its main neighbors, deciding that the costs would be less than the benefits of "opportunistically joining the anti-Russian campaign" launched by the West.