LDP member of parliament Suzuki Muneo presents Russia’s close relations with North Korea as positive for Japan. He suggests Russia will help resolve the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by DPRK. “Without the Kremlin’s coop, this is simply impossible.”
inosmi.ru/20260420/yap...
Japan’s govt will delay submission to parliament of anti-spy legislation until next year. This is in consideration of concerns over possible infringements of citizens’ rights. The bill on creating a National Intelligence Council is still going ahead & may pass on 23 April
mainichi.jp/articles/202...
Article by intelligence expert Kotani Ken on Japan’s proposed intelligence reforms. He notes that the biggest hurdle is to begin communication intercepts against foreign officials operating within Japan, a topic that Japan has barely begun to discuss. gendai.media/articles/-/1...
Sentaku magazine reports that a Russian citizen who cooperated with NHK’s Moscow bureau has been detained by the FSB for treason. The person is said to have helped with an NHK special about conditions in occupied Ukraine. An NHK reporter has also fled Russia. NHK has kept quiet about the case.
Former judo champion Asai Nobuyuki to travel to Russia to give master classes to young Russian judoka. He quotes Matsumae Shigeyoshi, founder of Tokai University: “Japan looks only towards the US, but there is another great power in the world — the USSR” ria.ru/20260416/dzy...
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Zakharova blames Japan for the “unprecedented degradation” of Russia-Japan relations. She also criticises Japan’s Diplomatic Blue Book 2026, claiming that Japan has strengthened its “hostile rhetoric”.
iz.ru/export/googl...
My latest for Nikkei Asia.
Ukraine's drone tech can help bolster Japan's national security:
Kyiv can be a security partner of Tokyo, not just an aid recipient. asia.nikkei.com/opinion/ukra... via @nikkeiasia.bsky.social
Report that China is profiting by reselling Russian LNG to other countries in Asia, including South Korea and Japan. Since the start of the year, China has resold at least 1.3m tonnes of LNG. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1301...
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns visitors to Japan that, due to JPN’s “unfriendly policies”, RU’s legations are very restricted in the help they can provide, incl. consular services.
- I’m not sure what restrictions Japan is allegedly imposing. www.pnp.ru/social/v-mid...
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara explains that the government’s planned intelligence reforms are also intended to protect Japan’s advanced technology from theft by foreign spies.
www.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/202...
Putin aide Nikolai Patrushev criticises Japan’s “militarisation.” “After 85 years, it is once again becoming an aggressive military-political player. The Japanese fleet is no longer a self-defence force, but the fourth or fifth most powerful in the world.” ria.ru/20260413/pat...
Chinese workers in Russia’s Kosomolsk-na-Amur protest against unpaid wages, appealing to Putin for help. While the protest was unauthorised, Russian police did not make arrests, restraint not shown in other cases. The workers are from the Petro Hehua company. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1299...
Japanese exports to Russia of used cars increased 32% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. 47,500 used vehicles were exported. The most popular brands were Toyota, Honda, and Suzuki.
tass.ru/ekonomika/27...
Watanabe Tsuneo of Sasakawa Peace Foundation tells Russian state media of Japan’s need to cooperate with Russia. He says, given the Gulf crisis, “Japan needs to maintain, restore, & develop closer relations with other oil-exporting countries, including Russia”.
tass.ru/mezhdunarodn...
“Rusal plans to reroute aluminium from China to Japan as Iran conflict reshapes trade”.
This is the Russian company’s response to the premium Japanese buyers are willing to pay. Last year Japan imported just 68,000 tons of aluminium from Russia. This looks set to rise
www.reuters.com/world/china/...
Belarusian media reports on Terui Kii (照井希衣), a transgender Japanese woman detained in Belarus for 6 months until June ‘25. She was detained for taking train photos & had rough time while held in a men’s cell. The KGB did, however, buy her a McDonald’s. zerkalo-17feb.store/news/life/12...
I seem to remember that it got a bit of funding to stay open long enough for almost all the remaining students to graduate. Rather sad for them.
Japan’s Diplomatic Blue Book ‘26 says of ties with Russia that, “as neighbouring countries, there are many outstanding issues that need to be resolved.” It says“it is necessary to maintain appropriate communication.” It mentions continuation of sanctions. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1299...
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova says Russia is open to discussing oil sales to Japan but this needs to be on basis of “mutual respect & equality.”
- Dep FM Rudenko previously said that Russia would not export oil to countries that uphold the price cap.
ria.ru/20260408/ros...
The outpost of Russia’s Far Eastern Federal University in Hakodate is to close in March 2027. Enrolment fell sharply after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The institute currently has only 4 students and 6 faculty. It opened in 1994. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1298...
Russian Foreign Ministry says it summoned Japan’s ambassador Muto Akira to protest the investment by Japan’s Terra Drone in Ukraine’s Amazing Drones to produce interceptor drones. Japan’s embassy disputes this account, saying that the meeting was held at Japan’s request.
www.jiji.com/sp/article?k...
Russian ambassador to Seoul Georgii Zinov’ev warns South Korea against hosting US intermediate-range missiles, saying that Seoul should know well that Russia would take military-technical measures in response. tass.ru/politika/270...
On 7 April, a Russian IL-20 surveillance aircraft flew down Japan’s Sea of Japan coastline as far as Niigata prefecture, prompting scrambles from ASDF aircraft. www.mod.go.jp/js/pdf/2026/...
Russian Foreign Ministry responds to investment by Japan’s Terra Drone in Ukraine’s Amazing Drones to make interceptor drones. RU MFA’s Zakharova says the investment is a hostile act & production facilities in Ukraine will be legitimate military targets. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1297...
My article on the implementation of Japan’s Active Cyber Defence Law.
www.straitstimes.com/opinion/japa...
Endo Homare, emeritus professor at Tsukuba University, calls on Japan to resume Russian oil imports from the ESPO pipeline to Kozmino. She accuses Takaichi of being unfaithful to Abe’s legacy by maintaining a tough stance against Russia.
news.yahoo.co.jp/expert/artic...
Russia has built its first LNG-fuelled thermal power plant on the Japan-claimed S Kurils. The plant on Shikotan is to replace diesel-powered plants. Yet, concerns remain over whether it is economic to transport LNG to the sparsely populated islands. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1296...
Russian state media pick up on the fact that Foreign Minister Motegi politely said “spasibo” when answering a question from a Russian journalist. Motegi also repeated denials that Japan’s govt is planning to send a business delegation to Russia in May. tass.ru/mezhdunarodn...
Chair of the LDP’s General Council Arimura Haruko suggests that “anti-spy law” (スパイ防止法) shouldn’t be used to characterise the govt’s intelligence reforms. The term is reminiscent of the Nakasone govt’s failed efforts to introduce a draconian anti-spy law during 1980s. www.sankei.com/article/2026...
Russia issued 36,413 visas to North Koreans in 2025, a sharp increase on 2024. While most of these visas were for “education,” many of these migrants will end up working in Russia, especially in the construction sector. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1296...