The Kremlin said on Friday that relations with Japan had been reduced to zero over Tokyo's "unfriendly" stance towards Russia, and there was no ongoing dialogue towards peace.
Russia and Japan never signed a formal World War II peace treaty, with the main obstacle being an unresolved territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories.
In her inaugural address to parliament on Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said: "Although Japan-Russia relations are in a tough spot, the Japanese government’s position remains unchanged, aiming to resolve the territorial issue and conclude a peace treaty," according to Russia's TASS state news agency.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, said Russia's relations with Japan "have been reduced to zero" over what he cast as Tokyo's "unfriendly stance" towards Moscow.
"There is no dialogue, and it is impossible to discuss the issue of a peace treaty without dialogue," he told reporters at a daily briefing. "Russia has never been in favour of ending this dialogue."
"...Under these circumstances, it is unlikely that any agreements can be reached without changing the modalities of our relations," he added.
© Thomson Reuters 2026.
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BigP
What of the Sakhalin gas project in Siberia? Is that closed down?
garymalmgren
RE: What of the Sakhalin gas project in Siberia? Is that closed down?
No, BigP.
That is pumping away and the Russian Long Legged Crabs are readily available in fish markets here too.
ClippetyClop
Maybe stop with the invading thing then eh Dmitry.
Try and be a part of the human race for a few years.
P_C
Russian salmon and trout roe imports to Japan a whopping 16M tonnes in 2025. Yummy, yummy, yummy sayeth the public.
Monty
The Kremlin said on Friday that relations with Japan had been reduced to zero
Who cares?
Russia is just another warmongering country with a mass murderer as a President.
Nobody needs and nobody wants them!
And that includes all Russia's supporters, admirers and followers who support and defend Russia's murdering of innocent people, including women and children in the Ukraine!
Wick's pencil
The US has long been hostile towards Russia (and China), we could even say that they have been at war against them. And Japan is clearly a vassal of the US. It's in Japan's interest to maintain friendly relationships with its neighbors, but it can't as long as it remains subservient to the US.
Japan must grow a spine and become a sovereign and independent country and kick the US military out.