Japanese Politician Slams US for Uncovered Political Pressure on Crimean Voters

The head of the Japanese right-wing group Issuikai said the Western countries continue to ignore the will of the Crimean people.

SIMFEROPOL (Sputnik) – The US refusal to recognize the results of Russia’s parliamentarian election in Crimea is a political pressure on the voters in the region, Mitsuhiro Kimura, the head of the Japanese right-wing group Issuikai, said Monday.

"The fact, that the United States via the Department of State prior to the results of the elections made a statement that it would not recognize the elections regardless of the results, seems to me unacceptable and very suspicious. That is an uncovered political pressure on the participants of the election process and that is essentially abnormal," he told journalists.

Kimura noted that the Western countries continue to ignore the will of the Crimean people.

Crimea, which on Sunday took part in the Russian parliamentary election for the first time in decades, reunified with Russia after over 96 percent of the local population supported the move in a 2014 referendum following the coup in Kiev that toppled former President Viktor Yanukovych. Ukraine, as well as the West, did not recognize the move.