Outgoing Russian Ambassador to Japan Mikhail Galuzin on Friday blamed Tokyo for strained bilateral relations, as it has largely followed in step with Western countries in imposing sanctions on Moscow over its war against Ukraine.
Dialogue has worsened "due to unfriendly action by the Japanese side" in response to Russia's "special military operation," Galuzin told a press conference, adding that Moscow has been exercising its right to self-defense over what he called "genocide" by Kyiv in Ukraine's disputed eastern Donbas region.
While his successor has not yet been named, Galuzin said, going forward, the nature of the relationship between Japan and Russia will be uncertain, and the "initiative should come from the Japanese side" to improve it.
Galuzin also denounced a press release issued Friday by dignitaries from 42 mostly European countries and regions, including U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, and reprimanding Galuzin for saying at an earlier press conference that "Russia has no intention to occupy Ukraine."
The diplomat otherwise reflected positively on his tenure. Having assumed the ambassadorship in 2018, Galuzin said, "relations have made significant progress in many areas," including dialogue on security and energy, calling Russia a "responsible supplier" of liquefied natural gas to countries like resource-poor Japan.
He said he attended the private funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was fatally shot during an election campaign speech in July. The ambassador also praised former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who he said made great contributions to bilateral ties.
Galuzin has served in Japan four times, including as minister-counsellor from 2001 to 2008, after joining Russia's Foreign Ministry in 1983. He first took up his post in Tokyo during Russia's Soviet Union days.
He was also Russia's ambassador to Indonesia from 2012 to 2017 before his appointment to Japan by President Vladimir Putin in January 2018.
The 62-year-old will return to take up an unspecified post in Moscow. His departure date is not yet known, according to a Russian embassy official.
