MOSCOW, September 25. /TASS/. The relations between Russia and Japan continue to deteriorate seriously, with contacts limited to a handful of isolated matters, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told TASS in an interview.

"A number of politicians and public figures of Japan directly express their concern to us over the official Tokyo’s anti-Russian course. However, to our deep regret, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi continues the policy of her predecessors, which has caused bilateral ties to seriously deteriorate and practical interaction to be maintained only on isolated matters," the deputy foreign minister said.

Rudenko added that Moscow has repeatedly conveyed its position that the path toward resuming dialogue and cooperation will open only after Japan abandons its hostile policies and backs it up with concrete deeds.

"We were not the ones to drive this escalatory cycle. Therefore, the initiative to normalize the situation in the Russian-Japanese relations should come from Tokyo," he said.