TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio said Monday that Tokyo is keeping a close watch on the situation in Russia after a brief armed rebellion by Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner mercenary group, against the administration of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We will closely monitor (the Russian situation) with great interest,” Kishida told reporters at the prime minister’s office.

Japan will respond to future developments while firmly maintaining unity among the Group of Seven major democracies, he added.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a press conference Monday that the Japanese embassy in Moscow and others warned Japanese nationals in Russia about the situation in the country via the Foreign Ministry’s consular email system on Saturday.

The top Japanese government spokesman refrained from commenting on the possible impact of Wagner’s moves on Russia’s aggression on Ukraine.

JIJI Press