Japan slams ex-PM Hatoyama's Crimea visit

Japan's former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama speaks during an interview with Reuters at his office in Tokyo August 21, 2012. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japanese government sharply criticised a former prime minister on Wednesday for his visit to the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, saying his action is at odds with Japan's stance on the Ukraine situation and calling him "grossly imprudent".

Japan disapproves of Russia's annexation of Crimea, and is concerned that the entry into the peninsula by former premier Yukio Hatoyama, who was travelling on a Russian visa, could be taken as a gesture in support of Russian control of the region.