Japan, Russia FMs hold first formal meeting in five years | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News - NHKニュース

Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu has called for the immediate release of a detained Japanese journalist during talks with his Russian counterpart. The sit-down was the first formal in-person meeting between the two countries' top diplomats in nearly five years.

Motegi met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the US city of Atlanta on Friday. Motegi is there for a Group of 20 foreign ministers' meeting. The talks lasted about 30 minutes.

The two ministers briefly exchanged views in July in the Philippines. But Friday was their first official face-to-face meeting since September 2021, and the first since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

Japan's Foreign Ministry says Motegi strongly demanded that Russia immediately release the Hokkaido Shimbun Press journalist. Russia's Federal Security Service detained the journalist on October 13 in the Far Eastern region of Sakhalin on suspicion of espionage. Motegi also urged Moscow to ensure humanitarian considerations, and fair and impartial treatment of the journalist.

During the meeting, Motegi spoke about various issues involving the two countries, based on the position of the Japanese government.

They included the installation in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk of a monument commemorating the former Soviet Union's victory over Japan in World War Two. The monument depicts a Soviet soldier destroying a stone bearing a chrysanthemum emblem. Another issue was Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Etorofu Island in August, one of the four islands that are collectively called the Northern Territories in Japan.

Russia controls the islands. Japan claims them. The Japanese government maintains that the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory. It says the islands were illegally occupied after World War Two.

Motegi also strongly called on Russia to take positive actions toward achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

The two top diplomats confirmed they will maintain communication, even amid the severe state of bilateral ties.

Russia's Foreign Ministry confirmed that Lavrov met with his Japanese counterpart in Atlanta. It said the meeting was held at Japan's request and that a brief conversation took place on bilateral relations.

The ministry said Russia stressed the need for Japan to abandon its unfriendly policy in order to resume a full-fledged bilateral dialogue. The Russian side appears to have reiterated its previous argument that sanctions imposed by Tokyo in connection with Russia's invasion of Ukraine must be removed.

The ministry did not mention the detained Japanese journalist in its announcement.