Russia expels eight Japanese diplomats in retaliatory move

In a retaliatory move, Russia declared eight Japanese diplomats persona non grata on Wednesday.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the decision has been conveyed to a representative of the Japanese Embassy in Moscow.

According to the ministry's official statement to the Japanese diplomat, Tokyo has taken "an openly hostile anti-Russian course since the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine," joining not only anti-Russian sanctions but also an anti-Russian information campaign.

"The administration of (Prime Minister) Fumio Kishida has taken unprecedented steps for modern Russian-Japanese relations, destroying the positive of mutually beneficial cooperation accumulated over many years.

"Japan has openly taken the position of full support for the neo-Nazi formations operating on the territory of Ukraine, providing political, economic and military assistance to the regime in Kyiv.

"This is accompanied by the escalation of Russophobic hysteria in Japanese society, the creation, in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, of serious obstacles to the normal functioning of Russian foreign institutions. The apotheosis of this line was the expulsion of eight Russian diplomats from Japan," the ministry said.

It said the decision to expel Japanese diplomats is "guided by the principle of reciprocity."

The ministry also put responsibility for the deterioration of the Russian-Japanese relations on Tokyo.

Russia and Japan have been at odds since World War II over a territorial issue, which the two countries have been trying to resolve in recent years.

However, Russia withdrew from the peace talks with Japan when the latter joined anti-Russian sanctions imposed in connection with the Russia-Ukraine war.

At least 2,787 civilians have been killed and 3,152 others injured in Ukraine since the war started on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates. The true toll is feared to be much higher.