Russian diplomats in Japan are increasingly ignoring parking fines, with their latest excuse being that they are exempt under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
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The Fuji News Network, citing the National Police Agency, reported that Russian vehicles made up 63 per cent of unpaid parking tickets issued to diplomatic vehicles last year, up from 59 per cent the previous year.
Currently, 2,418 tickets remain outstanding from the Russian embassy in Tokyo and its four consulates around the country over the past five years.
The Japanese government insists the Vienna Convention does not apply to parking fines and that they are “communicating” with the embassy in Tokyo to collect them. However, an official of the Diplomatic Protocol Office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs admitted there is limited means to compel the embassy to pay.
“They are arguing that they do not have to pay because of the convention on diplomats, but our position is that the convention does not apply,” the official, who declined to be named, told this Week in Asia, “We will continue to inform them of our position.”
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Russian diplomats’ excuses have changed since last year, when ministry officials questioned in the Diet told members that the embassy “will make efforts to eliminate parking violations, but it takes the position that it cannot pay the fines.”
