Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Thursday he told his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, that Tokyo cannot accept Moscow's proposal to launch a tariff-free special economic zone on disputed islands.
During their meeting, held on the fringes of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Lavrov took up the issue and Motegi repeated Tokyo's position that Japan does not support the plan as it would involve applying Russian laws to the islands.
With regard to joint economic projects on the islands, they should be implemented without infringing on Japan's legal position, Motegi added.