Russia-Japan Peace Treaty Talks Break Off

On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced the end of the peace treaty talks held between Moscow and Tokyo, in the light of the introduction of a new package of coercive measures by Japan because of the Russian special military operation.

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"In the light of the outspokenly unfriendly nature of Japan's unilateral restrictions against Russia over the situation in Ukraine the following measures are to be taken. In the current situation, the Russian side has no intention of continuing peace treaty talks with Japan, for it is impossible to discuss the signing of a fundamental treaty in bilateral relations with a country that takes an outspokenly unfriendly stance and tries to cause harm to the interests of our country," disclosed the FM.

The Russian Ministry underscored that during the talks, the decision to end the visa-free between Southern Kuril Islands of Russia and Japan for Japanese citizens, which were based in 1991, and the 1999 agreement on simple travel rules for Japanese wishing to visit their former places of residence on the islands. Russia has dismissed talks with Japan on joint economic activity on the South Kuril Islands and blocked the prolongation of Japan's status as a sectoral dialogue partner of the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation.

The Foreign Ministry stated that "all responsibility for harm to bilateral relations and to the interests of Japan itself rests upon Tokyo, which has consciously made its choice in favor of an anti-Russian policy instead of developing mutually beneficial cooperation and neighborliness."

As a result of the Russian special military operation launched in Ukrainian territory lat February 24, Japan introduced several packages of sanctions, within a total of 300 product titles have been prohibited from export to Russia, including semiconductors, equipment for shipping and aviation safety, means of communication, military products, including weapons, software and oil refining equipment.

The aforenamed restrictions targeted 49 companies and organizations in Russia, being  Rosoboronexport, Rostech, the federal security service FSB and foreign intelligence service SVR among them.

Assets of several banks such as Otkrytie, Novikombank, Sovcombank, VTB, Rossiya Bank, Promsvyazbank and VEB.RF have been frozeen by Japan. The sanctions also targeted Russian business people and leaders, including President Vladimir Putin.