Arab News Japan

TOKYO: The Japanese government has strongly denounced Russian elections being held in areas of Ukraine that were forcibly taken by the Russian military, according to a statement by Foreign Minister KAMIKAWA Yoko.

The minister stated that Russia conducted its presidential election in the illegally annexed regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, the “Autonomous Republic of Crimea” and the City of Sevastopol.

Kamikawa added that “Russia’s ‘annexation’ of these regions is a clear violation of international law that infringes upon Ukraine’s sovereignty and was also inconsistent with relevant UN General Assembly resolutions.

Minister Kamikawa reiterated Japan’s condemnation of the local assembly elections conducted by Russia last September and repeated that all such elections carried out in Ukraine contravened “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Kamikawa said that Japan’s involvement in the issue is because the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific “are inseparable.” She said Japan will continue to work with the international community including the G7 to impose severe sanctions against Russia and provide strong support for Ukraine to achieve a just and lasting peace in their country.

Japan considers that Russia’s “aggression against Ukraine was an outrageous act that undermined international order.”

Kamikawa added that Japan has pressed Russia repeatedly to cease its aggression and “withdraw its forces to Russian territory immediately.”