Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Tuesday declared a Russian consul in Sapporo "persona non grata" and requested they leave Japan by October 10, Japan's Kyodo News reported.

The action was in retaliation to the deportation of a Japanese consul in Russia's Vladivostok in September after Russia's FSB security agency accused the person of suspected espionage.

Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori on Tuesday summoned Russian Ambassador Mikhail Galuzin and informed him of Japan's decision.

"It is obvious that this latest step by the Japanese side can only lead to further deterioration of bilateral relations, which have already degraded recently as a result of Tokyo's destructive policy," Galuzin responded in a statement.

(With input from Reuters)

(Cover: Russian Embassy in Tokyo, Japan. /CFP)