Summoning back of Japanese ambassador-no problem for Russia.

2/11 Tass 161

MOSCOW, November 2 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia does not regard as a problem
the temporary summoning to Tokyo of the Japanese ambassador to Russia, a
representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.
"The Japanese government decided to hear a report of the Japanese
ambassador to Russia and with this in view recalled him to Tokyo. We do
not regard it as a problem," the official said.
Akiro Imamura, minister plenipotentiary of the Japanese embassy in
Moscow, told Itar-Tass that Japanese ambassador Masaharu Kono would soon
come to Tokyo for consultations in connection with the trip of President
Dmitry Medvedev to the Kurile Islands. "The ambassador will come to Japan
for the time being, in order to clarify all the circumstances. We do not
know so far, when he will be back," the Japanese diplomat said.
The Japanese government lodged a protest earlier and reported that it
was considering response measures against Russia, following the trip of
President Medvedev to the South Kurile Islands, which are regarded by
Tokyo as its "northern territories."
Russia emphatically turned down the Japanese protest, and Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described it as "unacceptable."
-0-rom/kud