Japan’s former PM plans to visit Crimea

Japan’s former prime minister Yukio Hatoyama is considering the possibility of visiting Crimea, Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun said on Friday.
Hatoyama, who will preside at the Festival of Russian Culture in Japan opening in May, plans to visit Moscow in the nearest future, and then go to Crimea, the newspaper said.
Speaking earlier about anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the West, Hatoyama said Japan made a big mistake by joining them. "I discussed this issue with State Duma Speaker Sergey Naryshkin. He told me he was disappointed [by sanctions] and called this step a mistake. I agree with him," Hatoyama said at the closing ceremony of the Festival of Russian Culture in December 2014.