Putin Blames Japan for Worsening Ties: Tass

Tokyo, Sept. 2 (Jiji Press)–Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Japan is fully responsible for the deterioration of relations between Tokyo and Moscow, Russia’s state-run Tass news agency reported. Putin reportedly said that Japan’s reaction to his visit to a disputed island in the northwestern Pacific did not surprise him. Russia had not taken any steps to worsen relations with Japan and had responded positively on many issues, he told reporters during his visit to Kyrgyzstan. Noting that negotiations on a peace treaty between Moscow and Tokyo to formally end their wartime hostilities are a difficult issue, Putin said that although the issue had been settled, Russia was ready to discuss it in some form, suggesting that his country had made certain concessions. On Aug. 13, Putin visited Etorofu, one of the four islands known collectively as the Northern Territories in Japan but controlled by Russia. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi condemned the visit as “absolutely unacceptable” and lodged a strong protest. Putin has repeatedly claimed that the Northern Territories became Russian territory as a result of World War II. Japan-Russia relations have deteriorated sharply following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022. The Russian government has designated Japan as an unfriendly nation over Tokyo’s sanctions against Moscow. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]