北方四島ビザなし交流延期　新型コロナ拡大、ロシア難色

　日本国民と北方四島在住のロシア人が旅券や査証（ビザ）なしで相互訪問する今年度の「ビザなし交流」の開始時期が、例年の５月から延期されることになった。複数の日本政府関係者が２日、明らかにした。新型コロナウイルスが四島に持ち込まれることを危惧したロシア側が難色を示したため。日本側は７月の開始を目指して調整を進める。
　関係者によると、今年度の計画を決める日ロ両政府の協議は３月１２日にロシア・サハリン州で開催される予定だったが、新型ウイルスの北海道での感染拡大を受けてロシア側が拒否。その後、電子メールなどで協議を続けているが、ロシア側の懸念は強く、交渉は進んでいないという。（2020/04/02-18:21）

The start of this year's visa-free exchange program between Japan and Russia is set to be postponed amid the coronavirus crisis, Japanese government sources said Thursday.
   The Russian side is concerned that the new coronavirus could be brought to Russian-held northwestern Pacific islands covered by the exchange program at a time when infections are growing in Japan, the sources said.
   The Japanese side aims to begin this year's program in July. It normally starts in May. The islands are at the center of the two countries' decades-old territorial dispute.
   The Japanese and Russian governments planned to hold talks in Sakhalin in Russia's Far East region on March 12 to decide this year's schedules for the program. But Russia refused to hold the talks following a surge in the number of coronavirus cases in the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido, which is close to Sakhalin, the sources said.
   Although the two sides have since been continuing coordination mainly through email, no major progress has been made reflecting strong concerns in Russia over the virus situation in Japan, the sources said.