TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday avoided making a comment on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s election to a fifth term in the presidential race that ended Sunday.

“It’s the result of another country’s election,” Kishida told reporters.

“There is no prospect at all for a restart of peace treaty negotiations” between Tokyo and Moscow due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he said.

But Kishida pointed to the need to “urge Russia to accept a resumption of grave visits” by former residents of the Russian-held northwestern Pacific islands called the Northern Territories in Japan. The disputed islands were seized from Japan by Soviet troops in the closing days of World War II.

At a news conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi also declined to comment on the Russian election result.

He slammed Russia for conducting the election also in four Russian-occupied provinces in eastern and southern Ukraine.

“In order to make Russia stop its military aggression against Ukraine as soon as possible, we will continue taking steps such as severe sanctions against Russia in cooperation with the international community,” he said.

JIJI Press