President Vladimir Putin may delay his visit to Japan because of sanctions Tokyo has imposed on Russia for its role in the Ukraine crisis, Moscow's acting ambassador to Japan was cited as saying by Russian state media on Thursday.
Japan, in a coordinated move with Western countries, has imposed sanctions on Moscow for its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in March and its involvement in a pro-Russian rebellion in eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies sending troops and arms to the area.
However, Tokyo's measures against Russia have been lighter than those of the United States or the European Union, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has continued to try to court Moscow despite relations already being strained by a long-running territorial dispute.