TOKYO, September 24 (RIA Novosti) – Tokyo's introduction of additional sanctions against Russia will not affect plans for Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Japan, the country's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday.
"First of all, I would like to say that there will be no such influence on [the visit to Japan by] President Putin. Our country pursues the path of cooperation with the G7 countries. And we adhere to the position that we would like to play a part in the resolution of the situation in Ukraine together with Russia," Suga said at a press conference, adding that Tokyo wants to "keep on promoting its relations with Russia" based on the country's interests.
He reiterated that no decision has been made on the visit and that it will be based on the whole range of factors.
According to Suga, the sanctions will not affect either the meeting between Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum scheduled to take place in Beijing in November.
Earlier on Wednesday, Japan announced that it was introducing additional sanctions against Russia over the unstable situation in Ukraine. The sanctions ban five Russian banks from issuing securities in the country.
This is the fourth round of sanctions Japan has imposed on Moscow since spring. The first three rounds were introduced later than those by Japan's Western partners and were significantly milder.
