"I think Japan should take a step back from the economic sanctions. Sadly, during the recent G7 summit Prime Minister Shinzo Abe went in favor of the decision to extend the economic sanctions against Russia for six months. I hope that the Prime Minister understands that was undesirable for Japan," Yukio Hatoyama told RIA Novosti.
According to the former prime minister, Shinzo Abe should re-evaluate his stance on the restrictive measures, which hurt bilateral relations.
"I expect Russian-Japanese relations to improve if Tokyo does not support sanctions or lifts them," the politician said. Hatoyama, who served as Japan's prime minister from September 2009 to June 2010, has long called on Tokyo to conduct foreign policy independent of the US and opposed anti-Russian sanctions.
Western countries, including Japan, imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow following Crimea's reunification with Russia, which they claim was against the norms of international law. But Yukio Hatoyama does not share this view.
During the visit he urged Japanese nationals from all walks of life to visit the Russian peninsula and see with their own eyes what life there was like and how different this picture was from the one painted in the media.
Hatoyama also noted that while in Crimea he became convinced that the 2014 referendum was in line with both the Ukrainian Constitution and the norms of international law. He also reiterated his view that Japan should reject its sanctions policy as a first step towards improved relations with Russia.
S.Naryshkin: Hatoyama's position in relation to Russia deserves respect, despite the official opinion of Tokyo
— Государственная Дума (@dumagovru) 13 Март 2015
