Japan Protests Russia's Suspension Of Peace Treaty Talks
Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says Japan strongly protests Russia's suspension of bilateral peace treaty talks.
The move follows the Russian foreign ministry's announcement on Monday that it is not willing to continue the dialogue with a country that holds an "explicitly unfriendly position" toward Russia.
Tokyo has imposed sanctions on Moscow over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Kishida on Tuesday called Moscow's move unacceptable. He said the current situation is the result of Russian aggression, and it is extremely unjust to shift the blame of the consequences onto Japan-Russian relations.
Kishida said Japan's aim to resolve a territorial issue with Russia and conclude a peace treaty remains unchanged.
Japan and Russia never signed a peace treaty after World War Two because of the territorial issue over four islands, which are known as the Northern Territories in Japan.
Russia controls the islands. Japan claims them. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory. It says the islands were illegally occupied after World War Two.
Kishida also said he is not considering revising projects related to Russia in the government's fiscal 2022 draft budget. The budget includes funding for Japanese firms taking part in the joint projects.