The key facts

  • Maria Zakharova said that after 2022, Tokyo instructed Japanese journalists not to ask questions through Russian state bodies, including the Foreign Ministry.
  • According to her, Japanese correspondents engage in activity incompatible with journalistic status; she did not specify which incident she meant.
  • Zakharova noted that Japanese journalists do not cover Russia's position on issues related to Japan.

Russian Foreign Ministry statement addressed to the Japanese press

Official spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said that Japanese correspondents are not doing their job but are engaged in activity incompatible with journalistic status, and therefore show no interest in Russia's position. Her words were reported by TASS, with Gazeta.Ru covering the statement.

Instructions from the Tokyo authorities

According to the diplomat, after 2022, the Tokyo authorities instructed Japanese journalists not to ask questions and not to take part in information events held by Russian state bodies, in particular, the ministry of foreign affairs.

'Activity incompatible with journalistic status'

Addressing a journalist from the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun, Zakharova said: 'We have wondered, including asking these questions publicly, so what are all those Japanese journalists doing in our country in such numbers? <...> And then we began to understand what Japanese journalists are doing. They are engaged in this kind of activity incompatible with journalistic status. This is not the first case, it is the first case we have made public. I think you know what I am talking about.' Zakharova did not specify which particular incident she was referring to.

On the lack of interest in Russia's position

Zakharova emphasized that if Japanese correspondents did their job properly, they would be interested in the Russian side's position on issues related to Japan. However, she noted, Japanese journalists hear this position from journalists from other countries.