Russian Ambassador to Japan Urges Tokyo to Stop 'Dismantling' Bilateral Relations

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Japan should reconsider its determination to impose sanctions on Russia and stop "dismantling" bilateral ties, as it rules out the chances of any normalization, Russian Ambassador to Japan Mikhail Galuzin said on Tuesday.

"Japan’s leadership decided to proceed with the sanctions pressure on Russia. This is an unfriendly, short-sighted, and counterproductive step," the top diplomat said on social media.

Galuzin stressed that Tokyo's new foreign policy course in response to Russian special operation in Ukraine fails to impact the Russian economy, but pushes the prospects of returning the Russian-Japanese relations to normal even further.

"We urge the Japanese side to adopt a rational and realistic approach and stop dismantling Russian-Japanese ties, which is not beneficial to Japan itself," Galuzin noted.

Japan has imposed several packages of sanctions against Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine. Earlier on Tuesday, the Japanese government reportedly held a meeting to discuss further steps in light of the recent developments in Ukraine, during which they reaffirmed their commitment to engage with the G7 countries on the Russia sanctions. Japan's Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki, in turn, told reporters that the cabinet did not discuss any new sanctions against Russia.