Русский
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has notified Tokyo of the termination of memoranda between the two countries that set up Japanese centers in Russia. The Japan Centers in Russia were six Japanese government-supported institutions designed to transfer Japanese experience and new technologies to Russian entrepreneurs, as well as to train personnel who were to form the backbone of market relations in Russia and who were going to do business with Japan. In addition, the Japan Centers offered 4-year free Japanese language courses, which could be enrolled by almost any person who passed an interview. They have been operating since 1994. These centers taught courses in Russian-Japanese business exchange, business management and Japanese language.
The Ministry stated “In accordance with Executive Order of the Cabinet of the Russian Federation № 11-p from January 15, 2025, the Russian Foreign Ministry notified the Japanese side on January 21 about the termination of the memorandum between the Cabinet of the Russian Federation and the Cabinet of Japan on the establishment and operation on the territory of the Russian Federation of Japan Centers for technical assistance to reforms in the Russian Federation,” the ministry said in a statement.
According to the ministry, “The unprecedented unfriendly steps that has been taken by Tokyo against our country since February 2022, including illegitimate sanctions against the Russian leadership, citizens, financial institutions and entire sectors of the economy, the cancellation of Russia’s most-favored-nation status in trade, participation – regardless of the form it takes – in the theft of sovereign assets, are contrary to the spirit and letter of the memorandums,” the ministry stated. “As the Japanese government continues its anti-Russian policy, it is obvious that the goals and objectives declared in these documents have lost their relevance, and the cooperation for which they provided a basis has run its course.”
According to Japan’s Ministry of Finance, trade turnover between Russia and Japan fell by 21.8% to 1.18 trillion yen (about $ 7.56 billion at current exchange rates) in 2024.
In December 2024, trade turnover between the two countries decreased by 26.09% year-on-year. Russian imports to Japan in 2024 decreased by 16.7% to 860.3 billion yen ($ 5.5 billion). Japanese exports to Russia also decreased by 17.2% to 327.6 billion yen ($ 2.09 billion). In December 2024, imports from Russia to Japan collapsed by 32.8%, but exports from Japan to Russia increased by 10.3%.
Japanese automobiles (more than 64% of all exports from Japan to Russia) and Russian energy products (about 63% of all imports from Russia to Japan) remain the main categories in trade turnover.
Japanese business interests in Russia have dwindled with the main industrial sector in automotive being largely taken over by Chinese investors.
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