TOKYO, April 28, 2022 (BSS/TASS) - Japanese Ambassador to Moscow Toyohisa Kozuki is not among the eight diplomats who are to be expelled from Russia, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Thursday.

"I would like to refrain from comments on personal information concerning the eight diplomats, but Ambassador Kozuki is not among them," he said, adding that Russia's decision to expel eight Japanese diplomats is unacceptable. He placed responsibility for the dramatic deterioration of bilateral relations entirely on the Russian side. According to Matsuno, a corresponding protest has already been conveyed via the embassy in Moscow.

On Wednesday, the Russian foreign ministry declared eight Japanese diplomats personae non grata on the basis of the principle of reciprocity. These diplomats are to leave Russia before May 10. According to the ministry, it summoned a representative of the Japanese embassy to say that official Tokyo had "embarked on an openly hostile anti-Russian course" after the beginning of Russia's special operation in Ukraine. The ministry stressed that the responsibility rests entirely on the Japanese government, "which has opted to reject friendly and constructive relations with Russia."

Japan said in early April that it would expel eight Russian embassy and trade mission employees over the situation in Ukraine and Russia's special operation in that country.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, but aimed to demilitarize and denazify the country.