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Russia unilaterally scraps visa-free visit program with Japan

Moscow has not referred to how the issue of visits to family graves on the disputed islands by former Japanese residents will be handled. (AFP)
Moscow has not referred to how the issue of visits to family graves on the disputed islands by former Japanese residents will be handled. (AFP)
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06 Sep 2022 04:09:27 GMT9
06 Sep 2022 04:09:27 GMT9

TOKYO: The Russian government on Monday unilaterally scrapped its agreements with Japan on a program that allows mutual visa-free visits by Japanese citizens and residents of Russian-controlled northwestern Pacific islands claimed by Japan, Russian state-run news agency Tass reported the same day.

The administration of Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be trying to rattle Japan further as the country, in cooperation with the United States and European countries, has imposed sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has designated Japan as an unfriendly nation.

The islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan, were seized by the former Soviet Union from Japan at the end of World War II and have been claimed by Japan. The dispute has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from concluding a peace treaty to formally end their wartime hostilities.

The Russian government’s decision to scrap the agreements was posted on its official portal of legal information, Tass said, noting that the government terminates the 1991 agreement between the then foreign ministers of the Soviet Union and Japan on the procedures of mutual trips and the 1999 agreement between the Russian and Japanese governments regarding simplified visits.

Moscow has not referred to how the issue of visits to family graves on the disputed islands by former Japanese residents will be handled.

In March this year, Russia’s Foreign Ministry declared a halt to the country’s negotiations on the territorial and peace treaty issues with Japan, claiming that Tokyo is responsible for the development.

At the same time, the ministry announced that Russia would also halt the visa-fee visit program based on the 1991 and 1999 agreements.

The Russian government’s latest official decision to scrap the agreements is certain to cause Japan-Russia relations to deteriorate further.

The visa-free program had already been on hold due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which started in February this year, has further clouded the outlook for the restart of the program.

JIJI Press

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