Russia Slams Japan Over Summoning Russian Ambassador

Tokyo summoned the Russian ambassador on December 12, 2023, lodging a formal diplomatic protest over Moscow’s unilateral decision to terminate a long-standing agreement governing maritime safety near disputed islands. Japanese Foreign Ministry officials pressed envoy Nikolai Nozdrev regarding the suspension, which abruptly ended cooperative safety operations for Japanese fishing vessels operating in the waters surrounding the Southern Kurils, known in Japan as the Northern Territories.

Tokyo Lodges Formal Protest Over Fishing Agreement

Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano called in Russian Ambassador Nikolai Nozdrev to express strong disapproval at the Japanese Foreign Ministry headquarters in Tokyo. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the diplomatic summons directly targeted Moscow’s choice to pull out of the 1998 bilateral pact that allowed safe marine harvesting around the disputed island chain. Officials in Tokyo argued that scrapping the agreement unfairly penalizes local Japanese fishing cooperatives and creates unnecessary friction in shared maritime zones. The move follows months of deteriorating bilateral ties tied to Japan’s alignment with Western sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine.

Moscow Defends Unilateral Suspension as Tokyo Retaliation

Russian state media outlet TASS reported that Ambassador Nozdrev dismissed Tokyo’s protests during the exchange, asserting that Japan’s foreign policy choices forced Moscow’s hand. According to Interfax, Russian diplomatic representatives maintained that Tokyo is barking up the wrong tree by complaining about an administrative cancellation that stems entirely from Japan’s hostile stance and economic penalties. Moscow previously announced that it would not renew the intergovernmental agreement until Tokyo demonstrates a more constructive diplomatic approach, leaving hundreds of regional fishermen without access to traditional catch quotas.

Historical Context of the Disputed Kuril Islands

The 1998 fisheries pact was established to prevent armed confrontations between Japanese fishing boats and Russian coast guard vessels patrolling the contested island chain seized by Soviet forces at the end of World War II. Territorial disputes over Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai islets have prevented Tokyo and Moscow from ever signing a formal post-war peace treaty. While previous administrations under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pursued joint economic development projects to thaw relations, current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government has taken a hardline stance in lockstep with G7 partners, effectively freezing bilateral compromises.