Pro-Moscow Japan lawmaker visits Russia in defiance of gov’t advisory

TOKYO (Kyodo) — A veteran Japanese lawmaker known for advocating close ties with Russia is visiting Moscow for talks with senior government officials, a source close to him said Monday, in defiance of a government advisory against such trips.

Marking his second trip to the country since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Muneo Suzuki, a 76-year-old independent House of Councillors member, arrived in Russia on Sunday and is scheduled to return home on Thursday, according to the source.

His previous visit in October was the first known trip by a Japanese lawmaker to Russia since its invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

Suzuki, who hails from Hokkaido, northern Japan, left the Japan Innovation Party after the second-largest opposition force decided to remove him for visiting Russia without prior notice. He previously belonged to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, currently headed by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

On Monday, Japan’s top spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said the government has maintained an advisory urging its nationals, including legislators, to avoid traveling to Russia regardless of the purpose of visit.

During a regular news conference, the chief Cabinet secretary said Suzuki had not notified the government of his latest trip to Russia.

In the wake of the Ukraine war, relations between Japan and Russia have worsened, with Tokyo imposing economic sanctions against Moscow in line with other Group of Seven members and like-minded countries.

Since then, bilateral negotiations have been suspended on the dispute over the Russia-controlled, Japan-claimed islands off Hokkaido, collectively called the Northern Territories by Tokyo and the Southern Kurils by Moscow.

The territorial row has long prevented the two nations from concluding a post-World War II peace treaty.