ID :
165644
Thu, 03/03/2011 - 14:40
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/165644
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Japan spurns Russian protest over inaction on flag desecration
TOKYO, March 3 Kyodo - Japan on Thursday spurned Russia's protest against its decision not to take criminal action against right-wing activists who reportedly desecrated a Russian flag outside the country's embassy in Tokyo, with its top government spokesman saying Japan stands firm a day after Moscow complained.
''We have concluded that the incident did not constitute a violation of Japanese law, and unless new facts that can overturn (such findings) surface, our country's basic stance stands firm,'' Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a news conference.
The protest comes as ties between Tokyo and Moscow are strained in connection to their sovereignty claims over the Russian-held islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group, which were seized by Soviet troops at the end of World War II.
Moscow claims that the Japanese activists dragged a Russian flag along the ground in front of its embassy in Tokyo on Feb. 7, marked in Japan as Northern Territories Day after the name it gives to the islands off Hokkaido, known as the Southern Kurils in Russia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry lodged a protest Wednesday in Moscow, summoning Keiji Ide, a minister at the Japanese Embassy there, and urging Japan to reinvestigate the case.
The ministry warned that if a reinvestigation is not carried out and those responsible for the incident are not punished, Moscow ''will have to take account of the fact when dealing with Japan in the future,'' according to a statement from the ministry.
It also said senior officials of the group to which the activists belong will be prohibited from entering Russia, and suggested that a delegation of a group promoting Japan-Russia exchange activities while engaging in educational activities on the territorial issue would not be admitted into the country for the time being.
A senior ministry official rapped Tokyo, calling its inaction in the case a ''tacit approval of a crime'' and arguing that behind the flag desecration is the Tokyo-backed escalation of ''an ungrounded territorial claim'' among citizens.
In Tokyo, Edano said the Japanese government will continue to ''thoroughly explain'' to Russia its move not to build a case on the incident and seek their acceptance, stressing that an action that disrespects the flag of any country is ''deplorable.''
Tokyo says a Penal Code provision criminalizing the destruction of foreign national emblems cannot be applied unless a national flag put up at a foreign country's embassy or general consulate is damaged.
Relations between Japan and Russia have deteriorated sharply since Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit last November to one of the disputed islands, which Prime Minister Naoto Kan described as an ''unforgivable outrage.''
A recent news report that Moscow plans to deploy antiship cruise missiles on the islands has also raised concerns in Japan, while the longstanding territorial row has prevented the two nations from signing a postwar peace treaty.
''We have concluded that the incident did not constitute a violation of Japanese law, and unless new facts that can overturn (such findings) surface, our country's basic stance stands firm,'' Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a news conference.
The protest comes as ties between Tokyo and Moscow are strained in connection to their sovereignty claims over the Russian-held islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group, which were seized by Soviet troops at the end of World War II.
Moscow claims that the Japanese activists dragged a Russian flag along the ground in front of its embassy in Tokyo on Feb. 7, marked in Japan as Northern Territories Day after the name it gives to the islands off Hokkaido, known as the Southern Kurils in Russia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry lodged a protest Wednesday in Moscow, summoning Keiji Ide, a minister at the Japanese Embassy there, and urging Japan to reinvestigate the case.
The ministry warned that if a reinvestigation is not carried out and those responsible for the incident are not punished, Moscow ''will have to take account of the fact when dealing with Japan in the future,'' according to a statement from the ministry.
It also said senior officials of the group to which the activists belong will be prohibited from entering Russia, and suggested that a delegation of a group promoting Japan-Russia exchange activities while engaging in educational activities on the territorial issue would not be admitted into the country for the time being.
A senior ministry official rapped Tokyo, calling its inaction in the case a ''tacit approval of a crime'' and arguing that behind the flag desecration is the Tokyo-backed escalation of ''an ungrounded territorial claim'' among citizens.
In Tokyo, Edano said the Japanese government will continue to ''thoroughly explain'' to Russia its move not to build a case on the incident and seek their acceptance, stressing that an action that disrespects the flag of any country is ''deplorable.''
Tokyo says a Penal Code provision criminalizing the destruction of foreign national emblems cannot be applied unless a national flag put up at a foreign country's embassy or general consulate is damaged.
Relations between Japan and Russia have deteriorated sharply since Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit last November to one of the disputed islands, which Prime Minister Naoto Kan described as an ''unforgivable outrage.''
A recent news report that Moscow plans to deploy antiship cruise missiles on the islands has also raised concerns in Japan, while the longstanding territorial row has prevented the two nations from signing a postwar peace treaty.
