The new head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry announced the maintenance of sanctions against Russia

Japan will maintain the sanctions previously imposed against RUSSIA, but when building its policy it will be based on national interests. This was stated by the country's new Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa at her first press conference as minister.

“Our country, as chairman of the G7, will continue diplomatic efforts [in connection with the conflict in Ukraine], such as imposing tough sanctions against Russia,” Kamikawa said ( quoted by TASS ). However, she noted that the two states are neighbors, and issues such as economic activities will be resolved in accordance with Japan's national interests.

Kamikawa clarified that Tokyo will continue its course towards concluding a peace treaty with Moscow regarding the southern part of the Kuril Islands. “We will firmly adhere to the course of resolving the territorial issue and concluding a peace treaty,” the minister emphasized. According to her, the opportunity to again visit the graves of former Japanese residents in the Kuril Islands by their relatives is “one of the priorities.”

In Japan, the Kuril chain is called the “northern territories”. We are talking about the islands of Kunashir, Shikotan, Iturup and Habomai. In April, Japan designated them as “illegally occupied by Russia.” Then the Japanese Foreign Ministry called the problem of ownership of these territories “the most serious unresolved issue in Japanese-Russian relations.”

In March 2022, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow would not continue negotiations on a peace treaty with Tokyo due to the “unfriendly nature of the unilateral restrictions imposed by Japan against Russia.” In response to the military operation launched by Russia in Ukraine , Japan imposed sanctions.

In February, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stressed that the government was firmly committed to resolving the territorial issue and concluding a peace treaty.