On 26 Dec, the LDP’s Suzuki Muneo met Russian Dep FM Andrei Rudenko in Moscow. Rudenko told him that, to restore bilateral relations, it’s necessary for Japan to renounce “its hostile course” and take concrete measures to back this up. www.gazeta.ru/politics/new...

LDP politician Suzuki Muneo, who is currently visiting Russia, complains about the lack of direct flights between Japan & Russia. He says he had to take a long flight via Dubai. Poor lamb. www.interfax-russia.ru/tourism/news...

The LDP’s Suzuki Muneo is visiting Moscow. He says he has coordinated what he is going to say with PM Takaichi & FM Motegi. Yet, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara insists it’s a personal visit. Others in the LDP are worried Suzuki will make pro-Russian comments. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1257...

Russia is named in Japan’s new cyber security strategy as a country of concern. It says Russia uses cyberattacks to achieve political & military objectives, & conducted cyberattacks against Ukrainian institutions & infrastructure as a prelude to invasion. www.cyber.go.jp/pdf/policy/k...

Japanese novel “If Cats Disappeared from the World” by Kawamura Genki has proved a bestseller in Russia. It topped the sales chart for 2025 at Chitai-Gorod Bookvoed, Russia’s largest bookstore chain. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1256...

Declassified files from G7 summit in 1994 show Japan was not in favour of Italy’s proposal to let Russia join the group at that time. FM Kono Yohei expressed opposition due to the JPN-RU unresolved territorial dispute. Other countries also preferred to wait. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1256...

On 21 Dec, one Russian Steregushchii-class frigate passed through the Tsushima Strait and entered the Sea of Japan. www.mod.go.jp/js/pdf/2025/...

Russian nationalist media site Tsargrad.tv has created an image of a grumpy Putin glowering at Takaichi. Putin looks more like Natanyahu. I don’t know who Takaichi looks like but it’s not Takaichi.

A member of Russia’s Geographical Society has proposed the creation of a Richard Sorge museum in Vladivostok. A statue to the legendary Soviet spy was unveiled there in 2019. “Wiesbaden”, the radio receiver to which Sorge’s intelligence was transmitted, was located in Vladivostok.

“South Korea and Russia recently held closed-doors talks in Moscow on North Korea's nuclear program”. m-en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2025...

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko says Russia looks negatively on discussions in Japan about acquiring nuclear weapons. His remarks follow media reports that a senior Kantei official said they believed that Japan should have nuclear weapons. www.mk.ru/politics/202...

Differences have emerged within Japan’s ruling bloc over how to change the rules on transfers of defence equipment. Ishin favours allowing transfers of lethal weapons to countries, like Ukraine, that are victims of aggression. Some in the LDP remain hesitant. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1254...

During his Results of the Year press conference, Putin said Japan’s birth rate is 0.8. It’s not. Japan’s total fertility rate is 1.15 child per woman. Putin likes to cite statistics to show his command of detail but sometimes he simply plucks numbers out of the air. en.kremlin.ru/events/presi...

Finance Minister Katayama Satsuki notes that Japan has pledged to provide Ukraine with ¥470bn in financing by the end of 2027. Part of this funding will be brought forward to meet Ukraine’s pressing needs in the first half of 2026. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1254...

One of the main focal points of the inaugural Central Asia Plus Japan Dialogue was development of the Caspian Sea route to facilitate the export of the region’s mineral resources without going through Russia. www.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/202...

On 18 Dec, one Russian Steregushchii-class frigate passed between Japan’s Yonaguni (Japan’s closest island to Taiwan) and Iriomote-jima. www.mod.go.jp/js/pdf/2025/...

51% of Japanese firms present in Russia in Feb. 2022 have not withdrawn. (The figure for Italy is 72%). The most important is Japan Tobacco International. Yet, many who stayed are not doing well. A JETRO survey finds half expect to be in the red in FY2025. wedge.ismedia.jp/articles/-/3...

On 18 December, on the eve of the Japan-Central Asia summit, Takaichi met Kazakh President Tokaev. They agreed to strengthen cooperation in the field of energy & minerals. They also reportedly discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1254...

Russian MFA spokeswoman Zakharova complains about Japan-US joint drills held on 10 Dec. She also condemns Japan’s “galloping increase in defence spending.” Japan is aiming to spend 2% of GDP on defence. Russia spends more than 7%. www.interfax.ru/russia/1063984

Trade turnover between Japan and Russia fell 4.51% in Nov 2025 compared with the same month last year. Japan’s imports of Russian LNG were down 6.8% and imports of Russian coal were down 26%. Japan imported no Russian oil.

Japan secured an extension to the exemption from US sanctions that allows the continuation of energy imports from Russia’s Sakhalin-2. Yet the extension is only for 6 months. One MOFA source says Japan “should be making more effort to reduce reliance on RU gas”. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1253...

Japanese car exports to Russia in Nov 2025 jumped 18.7% compared with the same month last year. aif.ru/auto/minfin-...

Lavrov praises South Korean & Japanese business. He says that Russia welcomes “the understanding shown by the relevant bodies and by business communities in South Korea and Japan of the need to act pragmatically and to distance themselves from the deeply ideologised line of the West.”

Among the 123 prisoners amnestied by Belarus is Japanese citizen Nakanishi Masatoshi. Japanese teacher Nakanishi was serving a prison sentence for espionage. He was accused of taking 9000+ photos of the Belarus-Ukraine border area over a 6-year period. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1252...

An investigation by security firm Trend Micro finds that a fake website masquerading as that of the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office contains source code in Russian. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1251...

The joint aviation patrol by Chinese & Russian strategic bombers on 9 Dec took a new & more threatening route. After passing Okinawa & Miyakojima, the strategic bombers flew in the direction of Tokyo. It’s the 1st time PRC & RU bombers have jointly done this. www.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/202...

Russian state media report that an action film starring Steven Seagal will be filmed in Japan in 2026. The film by Studio Mao is one of three Steven Seagal movies planned for next year. I can barely contain my excitement.

Russian ambassador to Japan Nikolai Nozdrev calls on Russian citizens to report cases of discrimination they have suffered in Japan. It’s not clear what discrimination he’s talking about, but he accuses Japan of conducting an anti-Russian campaign. m.vz.ru/news/2025/12...

“With one decision, President Putin deprived Japan of ¥1.79 trillion in tourist revenue.” (At least according to the Russian media). The article says Putin’s decision to grant visa-free access to Chinese tourists means they’ll visit Russia instead of Japan. www.mk.ru/economics/20...

LDP to consider whether Japan should be allowed to export lethal weapons to countries that are victims of aggression & are currently in a state of conflict. A change, which is supported by Ishin, would allow supply of Patriot air-defence missiles to Ukraine. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1251...

Japan to deploy F35A fighter jets to Chitose airbase on Hokkaido by 2030. The move is a response to increased aviation activity by China and Russia near Japan. The plan is for there to ultimately be 20 F35As at Chitose, gradually replacing existing F15s. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1250...

LDP to prioritise Foreign Agents Registration Law. Chair of Policy Research Council Kobayashi says the LDP wants first to introduce a system to register foreign agents similar to the US or UK. The suggestion is that other anti-spy laws would follow later. www.jiji.com/sp/article?k...

During a visit to Vietnam, Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergei Shoigu warns of the spread of “NATO embryos” in the Asia Pacific. He appears to have in mind AUKUS, the Quad, and JAPHUS. www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/...

Secretary of Russian Security Council Sergei Shoigu complains about Japan’s “belligerent policy“ especially its move toward what was the NATO-standard of 2% of GDP for defence spending. His complaint about JPN’s “belligerence” came as Russia sent strategic bombers around JPN’s airspace.

Russian & Chinese strategic bombers conducted a joint patrol close to Japan’s airspace on 9 December. There were two Tu-95s and two H-6s. ASDF jets were scrambled in response. news.web.nhk/newsweb/na/n...

Japan rebuffs EU plea to join Russian assets plan. “Japan signaled it is unable to use around $30 billion worth of Russian frozen assets held on its soil to issue a loan to Ukraine” “Japan’s stance was linked to U.S. opposition to using the Russian assets for Ukraine” www.politico.eu/article/japa...

Diet members from Ishin & Sansei-to attended a symposium affiliated with the former Unification Church on 4 Dec in Tokyo. LDP MPs stayed away. The event’s purpose was to promote the passage of an anti-spy law, long a focus of the anti-Communist Unification Church. www.sankei.com/article/2025...

Russian media reports that Russia’s ambassador to North Korea died on 6 December. Aleksandr Matsegora was 70. No cause of death is mentioned. He was appointed ambassador in 2014. aif.ru/politics/ume...

Experts from 11 countries, including Russia and China, will join an IAEA tour from 15-19 Dec to inspect Japan’s release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant. Russia and China’s governments have been highly critical of Japan’s release of the water.

Tokyo Gas president Sasayama says it’s possible for Japan to replace the LNG it imports from Russia. It’s unusual because Japan energy firms normally emphasise the importance of Russian energy imports. Tokyo Gas has a contract to import RU LNG until 2031. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1249...

Kyoto Shimbun editorial warns of the supposed dangers of the Takaichi administration’s proposed anti-spy law. The article compares it to Japan’s notorious Peace Preservation Law of 1925. news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/eb3...

Japan has donated 15 sets of bomb-disposal suits and helmets to Ukraine to assist with mine clearance. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1248...

Russian MFA’s Zakharova calls on Japan to fully comply with its own pacifist constitution: “The belligerent statements & actions of the Japanese authorities not only provoke additional tension in the region, but also directly contradict the country’s fundamental law.”

During his visit to China, Secretary of Russia’s Security Council Sergei Shoigu stated: “We will not allow the rebirth of criminal regimes in Europe & Tokyo.” It’s another sign of Russia’s willingness to align with Beijing’s campaign to punish Takaichi for her Taiwan comment.

On 3 Dec, a new centre to provide meals for nursery-school children opened on the outskirts of Kyiv. It was built thanks to ODA from Japan. www.sankei.com/article/2025...

Japan’s energy firms become nervous as EU sets 2027 deadline to end Russian gas imports. They fear pressure to do the same as their long-term contracts come up for renewal. JERA’s contract for 500,000 tonnes of Russian LNG a year expires in 2026. www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZ...

Japan’s Toyota has filed more than 80 trademark registration applications in Russia. This does not mean Toyota is returning (it withdrew in Sept 2022). Rather, the filings are an attempt to prevent the unauthorised use of the Toyota brand in Russia. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1247...

Ahead of the first Japan-Central Asia summit on 20 Dec in Tokyo, ex-PM Aso Taro speaks of the importance of relations with Central Asia. Aso is head of the LDP’s Japan-Central Asia Friendship Group. Rare earths to be one point of focus for the summit. www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1246...

China seeks to keep up the pressure on Japan’s govt. During FM Wang Yi’s visit to Moscow, China said consensus was reached with Russia on “resolutely countering any attempts to revive fascism or Japanese militarism”. www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZ...

Article in Russian press claims Japan will be hit hard by Russia’s decision to allow Chinese tourists to travel to Russia without visas. The article says Chinese tourists will now travel to Russia instead of Japan, “dealing a blow” to Japan’s economy. fedpress.ru/news/77/poli...