The Russian ambassador to Japan indicated Thursday that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's absence from a World War II-related event in Moscow later this week will not affect the schedule for bilateral dialogue, including President Vladimir Putin's possible visit to Japan.
During a news conference in Tokyo, Evgeny Afanasiev also said he respects the decisions by leaders of other countries regarding whether to attend the Saturday ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe.
Abe has sent a letter to Putin to tell him that he is unable to attend the event because of a "schedule conflict," according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.
Regarding Putin's possible visit to Japan, which was put off last year and has yet to be rescheduled, the ambassador said proper preparations are needed for that to happen, including a visit to Russia by Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida.
Kishida's visit was postponed following Russia's annexation of Crimea in southern Ukraine in March 2014.
Afanasiev indicated that Tokyo's economic sanctions against Russia, imposed in step with the United States and European countries after the annexation, could hinder Russo-Japanese dialogue aimed at resolving a territorial dispute between the two countries.
The Abe government is eager to make progress in the long-running dispute with Russia, but it has been confronted with a delicate balancing act because of Russia's involvement in the Ukraine crisis.