Japan's Ambivalent Policy Towards Russia and Ukraine

24 Jul 2026 11:07 AM

Prime Minister Takaichi’s equivocal stance on policy towards Russia has encouraged a revival in activity from those in Japan who seek reengagement with Moscow.

On 2 July, Watanabe Hiromichi and Suzuki Muneo, both members of parliament from Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), attended an event at the Russian embassy in Tokyo to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Union State between Russia and Belarus, a largely unfulfilled integration project between the post-Soviet states. Taking to the podium, the two politicians said nothing of the 570 drones and missiles with which Russia had pounded Ukraine’s capital during the preceding hours. Instead, they congratulated their hosts on the formation of the Union State and stressed the importance of Japan-Russia dialogue.

This is just one example of a recent trend of reengagement by Japanese politicians and officials with Russia. On 11 June, the same Suzuki Muneo spoke at the Russian embassy to mark Russia Day. His colleague, Nishida Shōji, gave an interview to Russian state media in which he remarked on the decline of US influence and argued that ‘the most important thing is to get rid of hostility towards Russia.’

Other developments include the report that, on 8 April, Japan’s ambassador to Moscow Mutō Akira proposed a face-to-face meeting between the countries’ foreign ministers, thereby resuming high-level political contacts that have been suspended since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. A month later, the irrepressible Suzuki Muneo, who was then visiting Moscow, raised the idea that this meeting take place on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum on 23 July.

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