MOSCOW
Russia said on Tuesday that Japanese ambassador Akira Muto, who was unavailable earlier, finally arrived at the Foreign Ministry to answer his summons.
After spending about 25 minutes in the building, he left its premises without making any comments to reporters.
Following his departure, the ministry said in a separate statement that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin lodged a strong protest with Muto over remarks by Japan’s prime minister and foreign minister concerning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Aug. 13 visit to Iturup, one of the Kuril Islands.
“Any attempts by the Japanese side to directly or indirectly call this obvious reality into question are absolutely unacceptable and illegal,” the ministry said.
The ministry said Muto was told that the southern Kuril Islands became part of Russia following World War II and that their status was established by agreements among the Allied powers and the UN Charter.
The ministry also linked the dispute to Japan’s support for Western sanctions against Russia and its backing for the Ukrainian government.
Moscow told the ambassador that it reserved the right to take “adequate countermeasures,” the statement added.
The meeting followed a dispute over Muto’s earlier failure to appear after being summoned.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that the Japanese Embassy had indicated the ambassador could not come on Aug. 14 or Aug. 17, without providing a clear explanation.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that after Lavrov’s comments, Muto “suddenly felt much better” and would visit the ministry on Tuesday.
Tokyo had protested Putin’s visit to Iturup, which Japan considers as part of its “Northern Territories.” Russia rejects Japan’s territorial claim and considers the southern Kuril Islands as its own.
The dispute over the southern Kuril Islands – Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai Islands – has prevented Russia and Japan from concluding a post-World War II peace treaty.
