Japanese Secretariat: “Detailed information will be confirmed through diplomatic channels in the future.”
The Japanese government said on the 10th that it regretted Russia’s announcement that it would stop implementing the bilateral nuclear arms disarmament agreement with Japan.
According to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK and Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei), Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno unilaterally terminated the ‘denuclearization agreement’ signed between Russia and the Japanese government at a regular press conference this morning. He said he had expressed his intention to do so.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno said, “It is regrettable that it was unilaterally announced without prior notice.”
He said, “We will confirm further details through diplomatic channels in the future.”
Earlier, on the 9th (local time), Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a document “terminating the Agreement on Support and Cooperation in the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons in the Russian Federation signed in Tokyo on October 13, 1993 and the establishment of a cooperation committee therefor,” according to TASS news agency. Russian media reported. This document was officially posted on the Russian government website.
This agreement was signed to support Japan in dismantling Russia’s retired nuclear submarines amid social and economic chaos following the collapse of the former Soviet Union. The ‘Russia-Japan Nuclear Weapons Dismantlement Cooperation Committee’ was established, and Japan provided funds and technology to Russia.
It is not known why Russia is suspending the agreement. However, it appears to be a reaction against Japan, which, along with Western countries, is imposing sanctions against Russia and providing support to Ukraine over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia announced in March last year that it would suspend negotiations to conclude a peace treaty with Japan. Cooperation between Russia and Japan has almost come to a halt.
In particular, this measure attracts more attention because it was taken at a time when Russia has recently been suspending and withdrawing from nuclear and conventional arms reduction agreements one after another.
On the 2nd, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill revoking ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Convention (CTBT). Russia then officially completed the process of withdrawing from the Conventional Arms Reduction Treaty in Europe (CFE) on the 7th.
Source: Donga