Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday he cannot accept Russia's decision to put an entry ban on himself and 62 other Japanese citizens, and that Russia bears full responsibility for driving bilateral ties to where they are now.
Russia's foreign ministry earlier announced sanctions against 63 Japanese officials, journalists and professors for engaging in what it called "unacceptable rhetoric" against Moscow.
The decision comes after Japan imposed sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin and other political and business leaders for the invasion of Ukraine. Moscow calls its action there a "special military operation."
(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka)
