Japanese university students return to Russia for short-term study program after seven years

Japan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that a university exchange program with Russia has been revived after a seven-year pause, with fifteen Japanese students traveling to Saint Petersburg for a week-long stay. The participants, studying Russian and related fields, engaged in intensive language instruction and cultural exchanges with Russian university students. The initiative is run by the Japan-Russia Youth Exchange Centre, an organization jointly financed by the two governments.

The exchange was originally suspended in 2020 because of Covid-19 and was not reinstated after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which prompted Japan to impose economic sanctions. While the ministry reiterated that Japan’s sanctions policy remains unchanged, it emphasized that such interpersonal exchanges are important for medium- to long-term diplomatic relations. Critics have voiced concerns about the move, but officials argue the educational benefits outweigh the political sensitivities.