TOKYO, May 26 (RIA Novosti) - Relations between Tokyo and Moscow remain unchanged and Japan is still waiting for Russian President Vladimir Putin to pay an official visit to Tokyo in fall, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference in Tokyo on Monday.
“We believe that there have been no changes in the relationship and mutual agreements between Japan and Russia,” Suga said. He stressed that the mentioned agreements include the Russian president’s visit to Japan this fall.
Suga confirmed that it goes to mean that bilateral talks on the territorial issue will not be interrupted. Chief Cabinet Secretary also stated that Putin's declaration of willingness to negotiate in Japan is also perceived as a token of no change in the position of the Russian Federation.
On Saturday, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) President Putin expressed Russia's willingness to negotiate with Japan when asked about the upcoming visit of the Russian President to Tokyo.
Putin said Moscow was ready for the talks and was surprised to hear that Tokyo had recently moved to impose sanctions against Russia.
Putin noted that he wasn't sure whether Japan was ready to negotiate.
Some Japanese media took it as criticism of Japan’s position, which joined the G7 sanctions against Russia, possibly casting a shadow on the negotiations around the territorial issue.
