"I do not think that [the arrest will have any influence] at all," Suga said at the briefing on Tuesday when asked if the minister's arrest would impact on the Russian-Japanese negotiations.
Ulyukaev is currently under the investigation for allegedly having received $2 million for providing a positive appraisal that allowed Russian energy giant Rosneft to buy the state's shares of Bashneft oil company.
According to the Investigative Committee, the minister was arrested at the moment of taking the bribe that had been extorted from Rosneft. The deal itself is considered legitimate by the investigators.
On October 12, Russia's major energy company Rosneft finalized a deal on the purchase of the state-owned stake in the Bashneft oil company, with about $2.5 billion to be transferred to the state budget.
