Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has sent a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin through lawmaker Muneo Suzuki, expressing that Tokyo considers relations with Moscow important and seeks a swift ceasefire in Ukraine.

Axar.az reports that this was stated by a former analyst of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Masaru Sato.

“When reading an article in the Japanese media about Suzuki’s visit to Moscow at the end of December 2025, one might get the impression that Prime Minister Takaichi took a cool stance toward his trip to Russia, but this is not the case.

Before traveling to Moscow, lawmaker Suzuki met with Prime Minister Takaichi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. Suzuki received a verbal message for Putin from Prime Minister Takaichi. I believe that the message was delivered to Putin,” Sato said.