东京——自俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京一个月前访问西北太平洋一座有争议岛屿以来，日本一直未能采取具体反制措施。

首相高市早苗领导的政府已就普京8月13日访问择捉岛提出强烈抗议。择捉岛是东京声称拥有主权、但由莫斯科控制的四座岛屿之一。这四座岛屿在二战结束时被苏联从日本手中夺取，在日本被称为北方领土。

尽管如此，由于在中东冲突久拖不决的情况下需要从俄罗斯稳定采购石油和天然气，东京总体上仍未能拿出更强有力的回应。

日本外务省一名高级官员表示，日本若采取进一步行动，例如实施新的制裁，将导致“日俄关系进一步恶化”。

“We hope to seize the opportunity to strengthen our approach to the Russian side,” Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said at a press conference on Friday. He, however, ruled out the possibility of temporarily recalling Japanese Ambassador to Russia Akira Muto, which would have been a way to show Tokyo’s hard-line stance over Putin’s visit. After his visit, Putin has made coercive remarks, placing all the blame on Japan for the soured Tokyo-Moscow ties, while sidestepping Russia’s own invasion of Ukraine. A statue was erected on Sept. 3 in Khabarovsk in Russia’s Far East to commemorate the Russian side’s WWII victory over Japan. Russia has also continued military activities around Japan, while siding with China over historical issues. Takaichi said that Putin’s visit “has made it difficult to restore relations in the medium- to long-term.” Her government, however, has failed to come up with further actions, with many within the government voicing wariness that retaliatory measures would give the Russian side an excuse to escalate its actions and expressing reluctance to make things harder for Japan in terms of economic matters, including energy. According to government sources, Takaichi was furious at the Foreign Ministry for failing to gain intelligence on Putin’s visit in advance. She has required the ministry to report on Russia’s every move since then, given that the trip led to criticism that she was being weak-kneed against Moscow.周四，高市早苗与参议院议员、执政党自民党成员铃木宗男举行了会谈，铃木宗男拥有自己的对俄沟通渠道。

据知情人士透露，首相表示，虽然北方四岛原居民能够再次前往家族墓地扫墓很重要，但她的方面与俄方没有任何联系来实现这一目标。

外务省一名官员对首相未提出具体战略表示困惑，称“我们尚未收到明确指示”。周五，自民党外交部会的一些成员敦促政府采取行动，一些人提议向乌克兰提供更多援助，而这不会受到俄罗斯的欢迎，另一些人则表示，仅靠抗议只会损害日本的尊严。

Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki on Tuesday criticized the Takaichi administration’s response, saying that Japan has shown “a noticeable conciliatory stance toward Russia.” He called on Takaichi to highlight her country’s support for Ukraine when she attends a U.N. General Assembly session in New York late this month.