"There are about 100 Japanese enterprises operating in the Russian Federation"

About 100 Japanese companies continue to operate in Russia, Ambassador to Tokyo Nikolai Nozdrev told Izvestia. The Russian Federation provides the necessary support to companies that seek to maintain mutually beneficial cooperation. At the same time, as the diplomat stated, official Tokyo is consistently destroying trade and economic ties with Moscow: local businesses working in the Russian direction have faced direct threats from the authorities. Further countermeasures against Japan will be effective, but not necessarily symmetrical, the ambassador emphasized. About new sanctions, business prospects and Russians touring Japan - in an exclusive interview with Nikolai Nozdrev "Izvestia".

"Japan has fully solidarized with the sanctions policy of the Group of Seven"

- Despite the support of sanctions pressure on Russia by the West, Japan apparently intends to maintain trade and economic cooperation with Russia. Thus, according to the Japanese Ministry of Finance, last year trade turnover between the countries grew for three consecutive months. What are the final figures in 2024? Is there any interest on the Japanese side in increasing trade turnover with Russia?

- Japan has fully aligned itself with the sanctions policy of the Group of Seven and is pursuing an anti-Russian course aimed at damaging the national security and economy of our country. Tokyo has adopted 25 packages of illegal restrictive measures, the latest of which was recently adopted on January 10. They include deprivation of the most-favored-nation status in trade, freezing of assets, restriction of investments, ban on the supply of a wide range of goods and import of certain types of products from Russia. It is unlikely that such actions can be seen as some kind of attempt to preserve cooperation. On the contrary, the Japanese authorities continue to consistently and deliberately destroy the foundation of bilateral trade and economic ties painstakingly created over decades.

As a result, according to the Ministry of Finance of Japan, the trade turnover at the end of last year has once again significantly decreased - by 22%, to $7.9 billion. In 2021 it was $19.9 billion. Statistics confirms Tokyo's lack of any desire to correct the negative trajectory of bilateral relations.

- How do you assess the prospects of Russian business in Japan? Does the government discriminate against Russian entrepreneurs?

- The Russophobic campaign unleashed by the Japanese authorities inevitably creates an atmosphere of negativity and alienation towards everything connected with our country. This is willingly facilitated by the local media, which tirelessly circulate stories full of anti-Russian narratives. This situation cannot but affect domestic business in Japan. Difficulties with cross-border settlements and logistics remain an additional barrier to effective commercial activity.

In addition, last year for the first time the application of "sanctions" legislation was recorded against Russian businessman Andrei Sova - he was accused of supplying allegedly "dual-use goods" to Russia via third countries. He was sentenced to a suspended sentence and a large fine. In such a toxic environment, domestic companies can hardly be expected to expand their activities in Japan.

- How many Japanese companies are still doing business in Russia? Does the Russian Embassy provide support to these entrepreneurs?

- Local businessmen working in Russia have also faced unprecedented political pressure and, in some cases, direct threats from the Japanese authorities, as a result of which they were forced to abandon entire market segments with heavy losses.

And when it comes to losses, these are not only direct losses arising from the termination of operations, but also lost future profits from working in the promising Russian market and a blow to reputation. At the same time, according to various estimates, there are about 100 Japanese enterprises still operating in Russia, which are striving to preserve the results of mutually beneficial cooperation gained over decades. Of course, we provide the necessary support to such companies.

"We are not interested in making contacts for the sake of contacts"

- Because of the sanctions, communication between Russia and unfriendly countries has been reduced to a minimum. At what level are political contacts with Tokyo being carried out now? Is there any dialogue at the level of the defense ministries of the two countries?

- It is important to realize that the Russian side has not taken proactive steps to curtail interstate contacts and cooperation. It is official Tokyo that is actively promoting a destructive course towards our country in order to please its Western allies and its own political interests.

At the moment, purely for pragmatic reasons, we maintain interaction at the working level to resolve current issues. The channel of communication between defense agencies is also maintained, in particular through the offices of military attachés at embassies.

At the same time, I would like to emphasize once again that we are not interested in contacts for the sake of contacts. A return to full-fledged bilateral work is out of the question without the Japanese political establishment abandoning its anti-Russian line not in words but in deeds.

- What is the level of cultural and humanitarian exchanges between the countries, including at the level of sister cities? Are cultural events in Japan with the participation of Russian artists planned for 2025? Should we expect similar events in Japan?

- Against the background of the general degradation of bilateral relations, we manage, albeit on a modest scale, to maintain cooperation in the humanitarian, educational and cultural spheres. On April 21, 2025, the 20th Festival of Russian Culture in Japan will open with a joint Russian-Japanese concert. In September, a delegation from Tatarstan, including the Kazan Dance Ensemble and the Riwayat Folk Instruments Ensemble, will visit Musashino, which is part of the metropolitan area. Against the background of serious pressure, Japanese artists and their impresarios are forced to take a wait-and-see attitude. That is why, alas, there is no reason to talk about the realization of large-scale cultural projects with the participation of Japanese groups in Russia.

- In 2024, Japan became noticeably more popular with Russian tourists. Against this background, the country has simplified the issuance of visas to Russians. Are the parties now discussing the resumption of direct flights?

- The issue of resumption of direct flights is frozen. The Embassy has repeatedly raised it with the competent Japanese authorities. A constructive conversation on this topic can take place when official Tokyo realizes the perniciousness of the current anti-Russian course.

"Such hostile steps will not go unanswered"

- Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has stated that his government remains on course to "resolve the territorial issue and conclude a peace treaty" with Russia, despite the current difficulties in relations between the two countries. Are Moscow and Tokyo now in contact to conclude a peace agreement?

- We perceive such statements from the lips of the Prime Minister and other politicians as unrealizable. Back in March 2022, we officially announced that, given Tokyo's unfriendly stance, we cannot conduct relevant negotiations. We are told that we want to continue some kind of dialog on a peace treaty, and at the same time we are being told that we want to replicate anti-Russian statements and threaten sanctions. Such is the dualism of approaches. It seems to me that no one in Japan itself clearly understands how these things can be combined.

In addition, even before the rapid cooling of relations, the Russian side was not talking about a "peace treaty", which is usually signed by the conflicting parties at the end of hostilities and ends the state of war between them (in Russian-Japanese relations, the Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956 fulfilled this role), but about a full-fledged comprehensive agreement on peace, friendship and good-neighborliness that meets modern realities. Its purpose is to lay the foundation for the development of cooperation in the long term, to outline the benchmarks that would make it possible to achieve a different quality of cooperation in the future. It has become impossible to discuss such a document with a State that has taken frankly unfriendly positions and allows itself direct threats against us.

- Japan has included individuals and legal entities, as well as three banks, in the new sanctions package. Is Moscow preparing retaliatory restrictive measures?

- Now the Japanese blacklist includes more than 1,000 individuals and 800 legal entities, as well as about 2,000 items banned for export to Russia.

Repeatedly, through all channels, we have warned Tokyo very clearly that such hostile steps will not go unanswered. Undoubtedly, such work is currently under way. Targeted, but not exhaustive, actions in this area have already been taken. Further countermeasures will be effective, but not necessarily symmetrical. At the same time, we hope that sooner or later a semblance of common sense will prevail in the Japanese political establishment and they will understand the need to build good-neighborliness.

"We urgeall external forces to refrain from making provocative statements."

- Japan is preparing for the worst-case scenario in the context of a possible confrontation between mainland China and Taiwan. Does Tokyo count on Moscow's mediation in case of escalation? Is such a possibility being discussed?

- The Taiwan issue is an internal Chinese affair. We assess the attempts by individual countries and inter-State associations to sway the situation in the Taiwan Strait and in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole as counterproductive. They deserve widespread condemnation by the international community. All regional and global players should make efforts to prevent escalation. We constantly call on all external forces to refrain from provocative statements and actions that undermine stability in the Asia-Pacific region and international security.