On Tuesday, Japan slammed a surprise visit to Russia by a Japanese lawmaker who met with the Russian deputy foreign minister.
The trip of Muneo Suzuki, the first known visit by a Japanese lawmaker since Russia attacked Ukraine last year, comes after Japan joined Western supporters in sanctioning Russia over the battle.
A spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said, “The government wasn’t briefed by Suzuki on the Russia visit this time, before or after.”
Matsuno told reporters, “We’re issuing a warning… of canceling travels to Russia, and no matter what the purpose is, we’re urging all citizens to refrain from traveling to Russia.”
Suzuki met with deputy foreign minister Andrey Rudenko on Monday, Russia’s foreign ministry said.
The ministry statement on Tuesday said, “The Russian side noted a significant contribution by the Japanese MP to the development of the bilateral ties.”
It said, “We regretfully state that the legacy of two countries’ cooperation, accumulated over decades, is being purposefully destroyed by the sanctions policy implemented by Tokyo to please the United States and the anti-Russian course of the ‘collective West.’”
Suzuki is a longtime advocate of close ties of Japan-Russia who was deeply involved in the foreign ministry’s programs aimed at solving territorial disputes with Russia after World War II.
Suzuki’s party will meet with the lawmaker once he returns, a party official said, indicating that the lawmaker may have breached a party rule by failing to submit travel plans before his exit.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s secretary general Toshimitsu Motegi said the visit of Suzuki is “not desirable”.
