“Tokyo periodically tries to ignore reality, namely, the undeniable sovereignty of Russia over the South Kuril Islands following the Second World War. All these so-called protests against our legitimate activities in this part of the Sakhalin Oblast are not just unacceptable, they directly contradict the constant assurances of the Japanese leadership in the intention to ensure a calm and benevolent atmosphere around the Russian-Japanese dialogue, ”said Zakharova.
According to her, Japan should understand that visits to this region of Russia by officials, including senior government officials, as well as planned measures to strengthen defense capabilities will continue.
On August 6, it became known that the Japanese ambassador Toyohise Kozuki was called to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The deputy head of the department, Igor Morgulov, drew the ambassador's attention to the unacceptability of Tokyo's "protests" in connection with the actions of Russia on its sovereign territory. The Japanese side’s comments regarding the visit to this region of the Sakhalin Region “border on an attempt to intervene in the internal affairs of Russia,” noted there.
Tokyo previously expressed protest to Moscow over the exercises in the Kuril Islands.