Tokyo has confirmed there are no concrete plans for foreign ministerial meetings between Japan and Russia while maintaining that bilateral relations remain important as a neighboring country. Secretary General of the Government of Japan Minoru Kihara announced this at a press conference on May 11.
“To date, there are no specific plans regarding contacts between the foreign ministers of Japan and Russia,” Kihara stated. “But it is important to maintain relations with Russia, which is a neighboring country; diplomatic contacts are ongoing.”
Kihara also confirmed Tokyo will continue adhering to sanctions against Russia in connection with the Ukraine conflict and coordinate actions with its G7 partners.
Despite the absence of high-level ministerial talks, Japan-Russia tourism flows have grown substantially for the second consecutive year. Russian Ambassador to Tokyo Nikolai Nozdryov stated on May 9 that Japan should lift certain sanctions—particularly price ceilings on Russian oil—to potentially resume oil supplies. The ambassador noted Tokyo has managed to preserve its participation in Russian energy projects on Sakhalin and in the Arctic.
