The Japanese government said today it criticized the unexpected trip to Russia by a member of the Japanese Senate where he met with Russia's deputy foreign minister.

Muneo Suzuki is likely to be the first Japanese parliamentarian to visit Russia since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. The trip comes after Japan joined Western allies in imposing sanctions on Russia over the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Hirokazu Matsuno, spokesman for the Japanese government, said: The government had not received any notice from Mr Suzuki about his trip to Russia either before or after the trip. He said the government was now issuing warnings to people to cancel travel plans to Russia, regardless of the reason for the trip. He said the Japanese government has asked Japanese citizens to avoid traveling to Russia.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Suzuki met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko on Monday. For Mr. Suzuki He is a member of the Japan Innovation Party. which is an opposition party with a center-right orientation He has long upheld the principle of supporting close relations between Japan and Russia.

Source: Thai News Agency