All papers wrote that when talking to the press on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Kono declined to answer journalists’ questions regarding Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov’s recent comment that Moscow “will not discuss the Northern Territories dispute with Tokyo unless it acknowledges the outcome of the Second World War.” Kono reportedly ignored repeated queries about Japan’s response to Lavrov’s comment. The MOFA press club reportedly later lodged a protest demanding greater accountability from the foreign minister. Mainichi speculated that Kono dismissed the questions out of deference to Moscow.