The issue of resuming trips by Japanese citizens to the Southern Kuril Islands to visit the graves of their ancestors is a priority for the Japanese government in its relations with Russia, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated. The main obstacle to such an accord remains the disagreement over rights to the southern part of the Kuril Islands. Moscow also withdrew from negotiations with Tokyo on the establishment of joint economic activities in the southern Kuril Islands and blocked the extension of Japan's status as a sectoral dialogue partner of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC). According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Moscow does not prevent Japanese citizens from visiting the graves of their ancestors in the Kuril Islands. The only obstacle is Tokyo’s position, as it has "forfeited the right to the previously existing simplified models of cooperation in the Southern Kuril Islands."