Japan won't invite Putin to Abe's funeral

The Japanese government is expected to refuse Russian President Vladimir Putin as a guest at the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this fall should he desire to attend, Report informs via Nikkei.

The Russian leader is subject to a de facto entry ban imposed in response to Moscow's actions in Ukraine.

Putin sent a condolence message after Abe was killed on July 8, calling him an "outstanding statesman" who "accomplished a lot towards the development of good relations between our countries."

It is unclear whether Putin has expressed a desire to attend the state funeral, which is reportedly planned for September 27 at the Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo.

Abe and Putin held multiple summits during the Japanese leader's tenure. Abe had made it a diplomatic priority to try to resolve a decades-old deadlock over the Kuril Islands that has stood in the way of a formal World War II peace treaty between the two countries.