Japan to close all six trade centres in Russia

The Japanese government announced on Wednesday that it will close all six of its economic centres in Russia, citing the deterioration of bilateral relations since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference that the Japan Centres had already "fulfilled their historic roles" amid the changing state of relations. He added that Russia's unilateral suspension of the memorandum of understanding on the centres in January further justified the closures. Hayashi also noted that the Vladivostok centre had been subjected to inspections by Russia's Internal Affairs Ministry on 30 July and 26 August. According to the Foreign Ministry, Tokyo formally notified Moscow of its decision to close the centres via diplomatic channels on 27 August.

The Japan Centers, located in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Khabarovsk, and Vladivostok, were established in 2000 under bilateral memorandums between Tokyo and Moscow. As reported by Kyodo, the centers were seen as a symbol of friendship between the two countries.

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