Russian Embassy refuses to pay parking fines

Dec 01, 2023 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that the Russian Embassy has no intention of paying fines for parking violations committed by vehicles with diplomatic plates, which have been avoiding payment under diplomatic privileges.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "The Russian Embassy claims to be making efforts to eliminate parking violations, but maintains a position that it cannot pay the fines for unattended violations."

Over the last five years, Russia has maintained the highest number of unpaid parking fines for diplomatic vehicles, with a total of 2,338 cases in 2022, constituting 59% of the overall count, as reported by FNN last week.

Following this report, discussions took place in the National Diet, where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that the Russian Embassy has no intention of paying these fines.

While the number of parking violations by various countries has significantly improved in recent years, Russia's outstanding amount of unpaid past fines is exceptionally high.

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