“To the attention of the distinguished Ms. Yuriko Koike, Governor of Tokyo: We are sure that Japan has enough of its land with a cool climate. But the Russian southern Kuril Islands do not belong to them, ”the Russian diplomats said on Facebook.
The embassy emphasized that sport should unite, and "not serve as a pretext for confrontational" jokes. "
The Governor of Tokyo, speaking about the situation surrounding the transfer of the marathon and race walking competitions at the 2020 Games from the capital to the city of Sapporo, jokingly offered to hold them in the "northern territories", as the southern Kuril Islands are called in Japan.
“If you need a cool place, I want to hear suggestions, why not spend them in the northern territories,” she said.
In August, a map with the Olympic flame route appeared on the Tokyo 2020 website, on which the South Kuril Islands were designated as Japanese.
As noted in the Russian Foreign Ministry, the actions of the Japanese side cannot cast doubt on Russian sovereignty over the Kuril Islands.
At the same time, the department indicated that Japan was trying to politicize the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
More details in the material RT.