The Japanese government has not spoken to Akie Abe, the widow of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, about her trip to Russia and has not commented on her meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said . This was stated by the Chief Secretary of the Japanese Cabinet Yoshimasa Hayashi.
“We are aware that the Russian presidential administration reported that on May 29, Akie Abe, the wife of former Prime Minister Abe, met with Russian President Putin, but we cannot comment on this matter“, Hayashi added.
“The government has extended a level three warning for all of Russia, which means avoiding travel. We urge people to refrain from traveling to Russia“, he said.
Japan has a four-tier travel warning system in place, warning of potential dangers when visiting other countries. Level three is in effect for mainland Russia, requiring people to refrain from traveling regardless of purpose, while level four is in effect for Crimea, the so-called new Russian regions by Moscow and the surrounding areas, as well as Ukraine and the neighboring regions of Belarus, from where Japanese people, if they are there, must evacuate.
Putinreceived Akiyoshi Abe in Moscow on Thursday. The Russian president noted that her husband sincerely sought the full restoration of Russian-Japanese cooperation and did a lot to achieve this. According to him, Russia remembers Shinzo Abe's contribution to the development of cooperation.
Abe's widow told the Russian president that her husband had hoped to meet with him even after the start of hostilities in Ukraine. She also expressed hope for the development of cultural and humanitarian exchanges between Russia and Japan.
During Shinzo Abe's tenure as Prime Minister of Japan from 2012 to 2020, relations with Russia developed actively, and the two leaders met 27 times and communicated informally.