The Japanese government declined to comment on the meeting between Abe's widow and Putin.

Japanese government officials have not spoken to the widow of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Akie about her trip to Russia and will not comment on her meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This was announced on May 30 by the Secretary General of the Japanese Cabinet, Yoshimasa Hayashi.

He noted that the Russian presidential administration had informed the Japanese government that Akie Abe had met with the Russian leader in Moscow on May 29.

"As a government, we have not had an exchange of views with Akie Abe, and in any case we cannot comment on this issue," Hayashi was quoted as saying by Reuters.

When asked to clarify how the ministers reacted to the fact that the politician's widow's trip took place against the background of the recommendations of the Japanese Foreign Ministry to refrain from visits to the Russian Federation, regardless of their purpose, Hayashi reiterated the position of the department.

"The government has issued a level three warning for the whole of Russia, which means [the need] to avoid travel. We urge people to refrain from traveling to Russia," he said.

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Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of Russia, announced the meeting between Akie Abe and Putin in the Kremlin on May 29. During the official event, the Russian leader recalled Shinzo Abe's desire to restore relations between Russia and Japan. According to him, the former prime minister continued the tradition of his family, as his father, who was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, adhered to the same position.

Kyodo news agency noted on May 30 that the meeting between the Russian president and the wife of the former Japanese Prime minister could serve as a signal of improved relations between the two countries.