Humanitarian exchanges between Russia and Japan are vital and must be sustained, Muneo Suzuki, a member of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party has emphasized. "Cultural exchanges continue, but I believe that humanitarian exchanges are equally important," Suzuki stated. The youth exchange initiative was launched in 1999 following the adoption of an intergovernmental agreement, which established a bilateral youth exchange commission. According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, nearly 9,800 individuals participated in youth exchanges under this framework from July 1999 to February 2022. In 2022, Japan's government decided to suspend cultural and humanitarian exchanges with Russia.