Japan Halts Business Education Initiatives in Russia Amid Tensions

Japan announced on Wednesday that it will be shutting down all six of its business education centers located in Russia due to the deteriorating state of bilateral relations.

Referred to as the Japanese Centers, these government-supported institutions have been active in six cities across Russia, including Moscow and Vladivostok, since their establishment in 1994. The nonprofit centers provided management and business training to Russian executives and entrepreneurs, with the goal of fostering economic reform during the post-Soviet period.

The legal status of these centers was formalized through intergovernmental agreements between Japan and Russia in 2000 and 2003. In January, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin ordered their closure, leading Tokyo to indicate that a response might be forthcoming.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi stated at a press briefing, «The decision has been made to end the operation of all six Japanese Centers,» referencing «the situation inside Russia,» as reported by the state news agency TASS.

According to the Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun, Russian authorities conducted two inspections at the Vladivostok center on July 30 and August 26. Tokyo had previously urged Moscow to guarantee the safety of its personnel during these checks.

Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Japan aligned with other Western nations in imposing sanctions on Russia. Last month, Tokyo indicated its readiness to participate in Western security assurances for Ukraine as part of a possible peace settlement with Russia.